(09-04-2021, 06:09 AM)kevin Wrote: The Franchise Tag would be silly, because it makes Bates one of the highest paid Safeties in NFL, which the Front Office is refusing to pay. So don't be looking for that Franchise Tag.

(09-04-2021, 06:09 AM)kevin Wrote: A month ago Bates was hopeful that he would be re-signed. He wanted to play in Cincinnati a long time. Now on Bengals.com, Bates has given up hope of a new contract before season starts. He says perhaps he hasn't done enough yet to be paid as one of the top safeties in NFL.  So his words show negotiations between his agent and Mike Browns staff just aren't happening.

Now Bates was considered Pro Bowl by the NFL last year and is rated as one of the best young Safeties in the NFL.  He is 24, but still he deserved a hefty raise from his rookie contract ending. I couldn't see the highest salary yet at 15 mil, but 10 to 11 mil is the going price for the top 20 Safeties in the NFL. I would have thought he would be considered one of the top Safeties and get that.  I have no idea what Bates agent wanted, or how low Mike Browns staff was offering. I do know Mike Brown has let good guards leave such as Montoya and Zeitler as Mike Brown said, " Why should I pay a Guard ".  I have followed Bengals since 1968, and I have a gut feeling that besides Guards, they do not feel Safeties deserve much money either. They may still consider it a low pay scale position.

So whatever happened, it now seems certain that Jesse Bates will not be re-signed before the season.  Mike Brown has often said he does not negotiate contracts once season starts, and it is time to put contracts away and play football. This would mean Bates contract ends at end of season and he becomes a free agent. Oh, Bengals could use Franchise Tag but that would only keep him one more year. Plus it would make him one of the highest paid Safeties in the NFL at the Franchise Tag rate, and that seems silly if team is refusing such a salary. Odds are he goes Free Agent and there are teams that will sign Jesse Bates on day one of Free Agency to grab such a Top Talent Safety and still so young.

To me it's a great disappointment that the young team leader on Defense was not re-signed this off season. I just feel this means it will be his last year for The Bengals, and it did not have to go this way.  Bates was hopeful to get re-signed, but it just never happened. To me it is more questionable moves by a Front Office that has not won a play-off game since Paul Brown died in 30 years of frugal futility under Mike Brown.

So as one post is on will we regret drafting Chase, I feel an important question is, Will We Regret Not Re-Signing Bates ?   If this causes it to be Bates last year as a Bengal, and he goes on to be Pro Bowl for years to come with another team since he is still so young, Will We Regret Not Re-Signing Bates ?

Since Bates on Bengals.com seems to have given up hope now, so will I.  It is time to focus on Minnesota Vikings.  This will be my last post on the matter for now, it's time to start the season. For myself, not re-signing such a good young player is a huge mistake to me. Come March, many teams will jump at the chance to sign him if Mike Brown is again too frugal. Some Bengal Fans will claim as Bates leaves that he asked for too much money, but that Company Line falls short as other teams rush to sign him in March. Again, The Franchise Tag would be silly, because it makes Bates one of the highest paid Safeties in NFL, which the Front Office is refusing to pay. So don't be looking for that Franchise Tag.  

So one last time, Will We Regret Not Re-Signing Bates ?

(09-04-2021, 12:17 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Do you stay up at night thinking about things to complain about this team? There is no hurry to extend Bates.

(09-04-2021, 02:02 PM)Bengalitis Wrote: Well, if we did it to Withworth on Offense, gotta have someone on Defense too right? Bates could be THE one. Watch the squeelers snatch him up.

(09-04-2021, 07:22 AM)Whacked Wrote: Is he still playing this year. I didn’t see him all pre-season.

(09-04-2021, 12:17 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Do you stay up at night thinking about things to complain about this team? There is no hurry to extend Bates.

(09-04-2021, 10:31 PM)bengaloo Wrote: We havent not resigned him yet, still plenty of time. Until he goes officially on the FA market, he's a Bengal. I'm guessing he will sign here before that happens.