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It's unlikely that Bates and the Bengals will come to terms on a contract extension before Friday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline for franchise-tagged players, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Bates had the franchise tag applied to him by the Bengals in March. The 25-year-old has yet to sign his contract tender and already skipped the team's voluntary OTAs due to his lack of an extension. Bates posted the least productive season of his career in 2021, totaling 88 tackles and one interception over 15 games, but his potential holdout would nonetheless be less than optimal for Cincinnati's defense as the coming season approaches.
