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

[Luvnit2]

(06-18-2022, 05:18 AM)puddycat Wrote: IMHO. Bates not being in camp is because he doesn't have to.  Bengals have used the franchise 8 times, and signed 1 guy, Rudi, to an extension.  That means that the Bengals are not looking to sign him again.  So Bates has to decide the best path to getting paid for the rest of his life.  Part of that is playing under the tag this year.  But he isn't looking to make the Bengals happy.  He is going to do what he needs to do to put himself in a place to showcase his skills to other teams with the least risk.  That means not playing in camp, minimal preseason snaps, playing at a high level in primetime games, and staying healthy.

So you think other teams will want to pay Bates mega bucks if he plays poorly in non prime time games, but awesome under the lights. GM's are not casual football fans, my guess is the watch every snap Bates took in the NFL over and over again. I also believe him saying he did not give 100% in 2021 is a huge red flag for any team.

Staying healthy is also easier said than done. How many times have seen guys hurt playing it safe?

I like Bates, but let's be honest. Bates is not the game changing safety like Ed Reid or Ronnie Lott, he is not a HOF safety, not so far at least.