The standoff between the Cincinnati Bengals and star safety Jessie Bates hasn’t had much of an update as of late.
While that standoff continues, the rest of the league makes slow movement on franchise tag situations.
One such example just happened in Cleveland, where the Browns agreed to a long-term deal with franchise-tagged tight end David Njoku.
Interestingly, one could argue that contract is a massive overpay for a guy who only caught 36 passes last year and has surpassed that number once in five seasons.
That sort of possible overpay might be one of the big factors in the standoff between the Bengals and Bates, too, after his self-admitted middling season last year before elite play in the playoffs.
Bates has made it clear he does not want to play under the franchise tag, though the current impasse between player and team isn’t too concerning just yet. Bates was one of two players who skipped voluntary workouts recently.
With the #Browns and David Njoku reaching a deal, it leaves #Chiefs OT Orlando Brown, #Bengals S Jessie Bates III, Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki and #Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz as franchised tagged players still facing the tag and without long-term deals (as of now). https://t.co/0Pb1dvVfKv
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 27, 2022
