Players placed under a tag franchise and their employers had until 10 p.m. (French time) last Friday to agree on a long-term contract. The deadline has now passed and none of them have been able to obtain satisfaction.
Jessie Bates (S, Bengals), Orlando Brown (OT, Chiefs), Mike Gesicki (TE, Dolphins) and Dalton Schultz (TE, Cowboys) will have to play under the tag for a year, before finding themselves a free agent. Or not play at all. Bates and Brown haven’t signed anything yet, and reportedly plan to skip training camp to show their displeasure.
Despite talks until the last minute and a big offer, Brown’s agent and Kansas City couldn’t find common ground. On the table is a 6-year, $139 million deal that included a signing bonus of $30.25 million (the highest in history for the position) and $95 million over the first 5 years according to ESPN. The problem ? The guaranteed amount of money, not enough in the eyes of the Brown clan who demanded more security on that side.
Cincinnati has been much less generous to Bates. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bengals’ final offer only guaranteed $4 million more than the $12.91 million he is expected to earn in 2022 under the franchise tag. All with a 5-year contract. According to CBS Sports, the safety has no intention of participating in summer preparation, or even playing in 2022. This would put him in a situation similar to that of Le’Veon Bell (2018), and he would become a free agent. in 2023.
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