Bengals Rumors: Jessie Bates Expected to Get Franchise Tag amid Contract Talks

The Cincinnati Bengals are reportedly prepared to use the franchise tag on safety Jessie Bates III to prevent him from becoming an unrestricted free agent when the new NFL league year begins March 16.

Tyler Dragon of USA Today reported Saturday the Bengals are "likely" to use the tag on Bates, though the sides will continue to discuss a long-term contract extension.

Bates has emerged as a key member of the Cincinnati secondary since the team selected him in the second round of the 2018 draft.

The 25-year-old Wake Forest product has recorded 408 total tackles, 35 passes defended, 10 interceptions, two forced fumbles and a touchdown across 63 career games. He added 20 tackles and two picks in this past season's playoff run to Super Bowl LVI.

While his baseline numbers are strong, he received a mediocre 56.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for the 2021 season.

In February, Bates said during an appearance on NFL Network (via ESPN's Ben Baby) he hoped to remain with the Bengals and sought what he felt was a fair-market extension, which didn't necessarily mean becoming the league's highest-paid safety.

"It's hard to find a positive environment, a positive work environment, and I've expressed that to Cincinnati," Bates said.

He added: "I'm not too worried about the ego part of being the highest-paid safety. But I do know value over cost."

The one-year contract tender associated with the franchise tag is estimated at $13 million for 2022, according to Spotrac.

Justin Simmons of the Denver Broncos is currently the top-paid safety for next season at $15.1 million, per Spotrac. Anything over $10 million would crack the position's top 10.

If the Bengals ultimately use the franchise tag on Bates to prevent him from hitting the open market, they'll have until July 15 to sign him to an extension. After that, his only options are signing the one-year tender or sitting out.

Cincinnati director of player personnel Duke Tobin said Tuesday that Bates is a player they "want going forward," and head coach Zac Taylor echoed that sentiment.

"He's been a tremendous person, represented this organization the right way and so we're just going through this process now," Taylor told reporters. "We want him back certainly and what that looks like, we continue to work through it now."

So, barring a drastic turn of events, Bates will be back to help lead the Bengals' secondary in 2022. The details surrounding that return are still up in the air, though.