08-10-2021, 06:54 PM
(08-10-2021, 06:01 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: I hope this is just posturing. Maybe the Bates camp is asking for the moon, yet they still know that they'll eventually take less, and this is the Bengals calling their bluff. This could almost be a stalement by design.Why would you lean towards Bates's corner if the season starts and no deal is done? Just asking, I don't know what kind of money is offered or asked for, to really form an opinion.
That said, if this deal doesn't get done, and negotiations breaking down is indeed a long term problem, then it's hard for me not to think the Bengals are low-balling him.
Think of it from Bates' and his agent's perspective: They know the risk in playing out a rookie deal. They know that the tag amount for safeties is signifcantly lower than the top 5 highest paid. Surely they want to avoid this. They also know that all of the top 6 guys at the position fall between 14 mil and 15.2 mil; there is not a sizeable gap. The market is pretty easy to identify and calculate.
So I find it almost impossible they'd overshoot this, to the point of ruining long-term security and taking a huge hit in pay on the tag vs. a new deal. It would make no sense.
Like I said, this could be temporary. I'm not going to assign blame right now. Who knows what types of negotiating tactics are being used unless you're in the room. But if the season opens up and he still isn't signed, I'm going to lean towards the Bengals offering way less than Bates overshooting a clear as day safety market.
PS If he doesn't get locked up that doesn't send a good message to some of the other guys on the team. I've seen a handful of players talking up Bates this offseason, Von Bell in particular. It wouldn't be a good look to not take care of your best player. And franchising him isn't going to make a lot of people happy either.
