Bates - No Intentions Reporting to Camp or Play on Tag

[*Go Cards*]

(07-16-2022, 10:40 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Jessie Bates is not even the best Safety on our team. I understand he's mad about being tagged, but what are the Bengals to do? They're not going to put long-term guaranteed money into him, he can be a good starting Safety when his head is right, we have the option to tag him. We're going to give the dude $13 MIL guaranteed this year.

Personally, I would have let him walk and lock up the Honey Badger for a couple of years while the kids develop. But I cannot find anything wrong with what the Bengals are doing.

There is nothing wrong with it at all and they have the right to do so, but its a gamble on both sides. 

The Bengals gamble ? Will Bates give maximum effort or feign an injury just to collect the money in our win now season. 

It would be different if the Bengals had a chance of signing him next year if he plays well. But everybody knows its not going to happen per there are bigger fish to sign swimming upstream and we are only trying to use him as a one year mercenary. One that feels underpaid and under appreciated as well. Not saying either is true but it seems to be Bates' belief and could be a bad recipe for team chemistry.  

Now there is still the incentive for Bates to play for a contract year and that is all we can hope for really at this point. 

Agree with you that Bengals should have walked away and used the $13 million in FA before getting to this juncture.