The Cincinnati Bengals are going to get used to practicing without Jessie Bates III.
Per USA Today’s Tyler Dragon, formerly of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Bates has “no intention” on playing under the franchise tag this year and plans to skip offseason workouts and even training camp if he doesn’t reach a long-term deal with the Bengals.
Cincinnati placed the tag on Bates back in March, but Bates hasn’t signed it yet, meaning he won’t be subject to fines if he were to skip training camp practices. None of the team’s OTA sessions are mandatory and Bates has no workout bonuses to earn either.