Safety Jessie Bates made his long-awaited return to the Bengals on Tuesday and the failure to reach an agreement with the Bengals on a long-term deal was among the topics of conversation when he held a press conference on Wednesday.
Bates was given the franchise tag early in the offseason and talks with the Bengals about a multi-year deal went nowhere before the July 15 deadline to get one done. Bates didn’t offer any clues about why the two sides were unable to come together on a pact and said that his mindset is to use this season providing further proof of his value to the defense.
“I don’t know,” Bates said, via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I don’t think that’s my question to answer. I think it’s a great opportunity to continue to present what I’m about to, who I am, to this franchise and other teams as well. So, like I said, I’m looking at this as an opportunity to prove that I’m one of the best safeties in this league. I’m not sure why I’m not paid yet.”
Bates will make $12.91 million this year and would be eligible for the franchise tag again next offseason. That may be an unlikely path for things to take given the 120 percent raise that comes with a second tag and the desire to get a contract extension done with Joe Burrow, so Bates may need to look elsewhere if he’s going to get the kind of contract he wanted this year.
