Bengals place franchise tag on Bates
The Cincinnati Bengals placed the franchise tag on safety Jessie Bates, the team announced Monday.
Cincinnati had until Tuesday's deadline to tag the 25-year-old and now has until July 15 to work out a long-term deal.
The one-year tender will pay Bates roughly $12.9 million next season if they are unable to agree on a longer contract, according to a league release obtained by NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
Bates has played an integral role in the Bengals' secondary since they selected him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native has missed just two games through his four-year tenure in Cincinnati and has racked up 10 career interceptions. Bates recorded 20 tackles and two picks during the Bengals' run to Super Bowl LVI.
The Bengals opted to extend Sam Hubbard instead of Bates last preseason, which was initially frustrating for Bates.
"I feel like I'm at a better headspace now than I was at the beginning of the season," he said in November, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. "(I was) so caught (up) on proving the wrong people right, and the main thing I should be focusing on is proving the right people right."
On the prospect of landing a big contract, Bates added: "You're not just going to get exactly what you want, whenever you want it. It's just something that's going to happen. I know it will. I've put the work in. I've done my part."
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor acknowledged Bates' impact in February.
"Jessie's approach has been tremendous all year. ... I think everyone knows we want Jessie to be a part of this, and we'll just continue to work through those discussions," Taylor said, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway.
In four seasons with Cincinnati, Bates has recorded 408 tackles and 35 pass deflections.
Meanwhile, tight end C.J. Uzomah and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi are among the group of Bengals set to become free agents later in March.
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