Jessie Bates III, with 'a real role on our team,' gets franchise tag from Cincinnati Bengals, source says

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates III will be under contract with the team for at least one more season.

Bates was given the franchise tag designation ahead of Tuesday's deadline, a source told ESPN's Dan Graziano on Monday. Bates was on the verge of becoming a free agent once his rookie deal expired at the end of the league year.

The deal secures Bates' short-term future with the club that selected him in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft. According to Spotrac data, the tag is expected to be worth $13 million. At last week's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, Bengals executive Duke Tobin reiterated the franchise's intention was to keep him in Cincinnati.

«He's a guy that developed and that has played well that has a real role on our team in a lot of different areas, particularly in leadership and playmaking skill,» Tobin said. «He's a guy we want going forward.»

The franchise tag allows Bates and the Bengals to negotiate a long-term deal until July 15 at 4 p.m. ET. If no multiyear contract is reached by then, Bates will not be eligible for a contract extension until after the season, according to the NFL's collective bargaining agreement with the NFLPA.

Bates played a pivotal role in the Bengals reaching their first Super Bowl in 33 years. In four postseason games, he had six pass deflections, 20 tackles and two interceptions, including one in the 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI.

The safety, who turned 25 in February, sought a contract extension with the Bengals after a breakout 2020 campaign; however, those preseason discussions did not lead to a new contract.

He started 15 games last season, making 88 tackles with an interception, four passes defended and a fumble