The Bengals will be keeping the band together, by using one of the most important tools available for a team that wants to block a player from getting paid on the open market.
Tyler Dragon of USA Today reports that the Bengals are likely to apply the franchise tag to safety Jessie Bates, as they negotiate a long-term deal to keep him in Cincinnati.
The franchise tag for safeties is expected to be in the range of $13 million. This loosely translates to a long-term deal that guarantees the first two years of the contract. For Bates, that’s $13 million this year and a 20-percent raise in 2023 ($15.6 million). That’s $28.6 million fully guaranteed over the first two years of the contract.
This will be a good test of whether the Bengals are serious about changing their ways in order to put the best possible team around quarterback Joe Burrow. They don’t fully-guarantee money beyond the first year of a contract. Here’s their chance to do it. Otherwise, there’s no reason for Bates to do anything other than play under the franchise tag for 2022, and then to see what happens next year.
