08-19-2021, 05:49 PM
(08-19-2021, 09:43 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: I believe it is a pretty well-known leak to teams as they prepare to manage their caps long term, but I never give too much time to contracts and cap management.
Truth is, what Bates said is 100% posturing likely from his agent. The optics look bad for the Bengals....I mean, we are paying Trae Waynes a lot more money than Bates and he hasn't done a damn thing here (yet). But that is the NFL. There is a rookie wage scale now that was very much needed. The second contract offer from the Bengals could very well have been top 3 money, but Bates might be projecting that next cap and saying he is worth $20 million per instead of $15 million. Either way, I am willing to wager that Bates is eventually signed, the money is VERY fair, and the national media has no comment since it doesn't fit their narrative.
I personally think, the longer you wait to sign Bates the higher that contract could potentially be.
I think this all comes down to how much does the Bengals front office value safeties?
The Bengals loved having Zeitler at guard and knew he was one of the best in the NFL, but they weren't going to pay him that amount because dont believe in paying guards.
Same could be true for saftey. The Bengals could think Bates is a hell of a guy, but they arent going to give him $15-20M because that type of money goes to DL, OT, WR, ect.
