Why the **** is Jessie Bates not signed yet?

[CJD]

They tried to get him signed prior to free agency, but they were at a stalemate. Almost certainly due to guaranteed dollars.

Then free agency started, so the Bengals FO focused on that.
Now the draft is here, so they are focused on that.

I think they'll circle back and talk to Bates again in May or June, but it is looking like he will almost certainly play on the franchise tag this year. If he is expecting 60 to 70% of the contract to be guaranteed, that's just not something the Bengals do. Even when they really like a player.

Bates' agent has several other safety clients and the recent contracts they've signed have been:
Budda Baker (33/59 guaranteed) 56%
Kevin Byard (31/70 guaranteed) 44%
Quandre Diggs (27/39) 69%
And then there was the Marcus Williams contract, (37/70 guaranteed) 53%

Historically, the Bengals refuse to give much more than ~35% of any given contract guaranteed.

Trey Hendrickson got 16/60 (27%), DJ Reader 20.5/53 (39%), Joe Mixon 10/40 (25%), BJ Hill 13/40 (32.5%), Cappa 11/35 (31%), Awuzie 7.5/22 (34%), Hubbard 10/40 (25%), Waynes 15/42 (36%).

Going back further, Dalton 17/96 (18%), Green 33/60 (55%), Palmer 19/97 (20%).

Unless I'm forgetting any big names, it seems we've only given >50% guaranteed a single time, with Green. Many are in the 25 to 35% range. The recent safety contracts are in the 40 to 70% range.

If Bates wants a contract like that, then he's probably going to have to go to another team.

Maybe they break their pattern for Bates, but I'm not expecting them to.

The most annoying thing is that the Bengals don't do literal guarantees, but they do "practical" guarantees. Look at Tray Waynes. Only 15 million was guaranteed, but the Bengals kept him for 2 years for doing nothing at all, meaning his actual guarantee was 30.8 million, which would be 73%... I wish Bates' agent would realize this and advise his client appropriately. Because at least the first two years of any deal Bates signs are guaranteed. And the only way they'd cut him at that point is if he had a catastrophic implosion or is injured for both years.

I just hope we get something for him next off season with a tag and trade.

I'd love it if we could trade him for a 1st or so this year and then sign Tyrann Mathieu.