Inside Look: What the Franchise Tag Means For Jessie Bates' Future With Bengals

Bates hired David Mulugheta to be his agent before the 2020 season. Mulugheta has repped some of the highest-paid safeties in NFL history, including Earl Thomas, Kevin Byard and Landon Collins.

Mulugheta is going to do what he can to make Bates the highest-paid safety in all of football. Do the Bengals view him as that type of player?

As talented as he is, he’s never been to a Pro Bowl. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2020, but is coming off of a season where he posted career-lows in tackles (88), passes defensed (four) and interceptions (one).

There’s no denying Bates is a great player and a big part of the Bengals’ defense, but if they’re willing to make him one of the top-5 paid safeties in the league and give him $25 million guaranteed in an extension, then it’s hard to blame them if a deal doesn’t get done.

At the same time, no one but the Bengals, Bates and Mulugheta know if that’s actually the case.

Cincinnati needs to push to get a deal done. Bates adds an element to this defense that not many guys can bring, but pushing for every last penny with the Bengals trying to add to their championship core is risky business, especially if he wants to stay in Cincinnati long-term. 

Don't read into Katie Blackburn's statement after the Bengals placed the franchise tag on Bates. 

She wasn't going to go into details about how they hope to sign him to an extension before July 15. Blackburn was simply explaining why they were placing the tag on him. 

“Jessie has been an outstanding player here for four years,” Blackburn said in a statement. “Over the past year, we've tried to extend his contract here in Cincinnati, and while that hasn't come to pass, we want him here for 2022 to be a part of what we think should be an exciting football season and bright future for our organization.”

It may not be what fans want to hear, but the Bengals still want to sign him to an extension. Getting something done before the deadline could be much easier said than done. A little flexibility from both parties could go a long way as negotiations are expected to continue over the next few months. 

What're the odds the Bengals sign their franchise player to an extension? They've used the franchise tag eight times and only agreed to a long-term deal that same year just once (Rudi Johnson, 2005). 

Oddly enough, the Bengals have made the right decision in most of these scenarios. 

Jay Morrison of The Athletic looked at all eight times they've used the franchise tag. 

The Bengals tagged A.J. Green (2020), Michael Johnson (2013), Shayne Graham (2009), Justin Smith (2007) and Stacy Andrews (2008). All five players signed with other teams the following season. 

Cincinnati got it right in four of the five instances. Green was a shell of his old self. Johnson flamed out in Tampa Bay before returning to Cincinnati. Graham cost them any chance of beating the Jets in the playoffs. He went on to play for six more seasons, but he bounced around the NFL over that span. Andrews played for three different teams after making 15 starts for the Bengals in 2008, but only started 17 games over the next three seasons and was out of the NFL by 2012. 

Letting Smith walk was a mistake, but Cincinnati got it right with the other guys. The Bengals also tagged Mike Nugent in 2012, before signing him to a two-year extension the following offseason. 

Bates is arguably the best player of the bunch. Keeping him should be a top priority. Will they get a deal done? Only time will tell. In the meantime, he's set to make $12.91 million in 2022, which is nearly double what he made in his first four NFL seasons ($6.854 million).