The Bengals need to listen to Joe Burrow or they're going to regret it
The Cincinnati Bengals are unlikely to bring back safety Jessie Bates in 2023. Bates wants to be paid like one of the top safeties in the league, but Cincinnati doesn't want to give him a contract that lucrative. As a result, Bates is begrudgingly playing on the franchise tag this season while making it known […]
The Cincinnati Bengals are unlikely to bring back safety Jessie Bates in 2023.
Bates wants to be paid like one of the top safeties in the league, but Cincinnati doesn't want to give him a contract that lucrative.
As a result, Bates is begrudgingly playing on the franchise tag this season while making it known that it's a contract year and he plans to play at an extremely high level.
If Bates plays at a high level, he'll be even more expensive next off-season.
Cincinnati drafted safety Dax Hill as a possible replacement for Bates because of that pricetag.
Hill has looked capable of replacing Bates. But that doesn't mean moving on from Bates would be a wise move by the Bengals.
The former Wake Forest star is an important defensive leader for Cincinnati. And if he departs, his presence will be greatly missed — it's not just what happens on the field that makes Bates great.
I know Cincy is being cautious with how they spend their money due to large extensions for Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase looming. But they really need to find a way to bring Bates back.
And don't just listen to me, listen to what Burrow said during his appearance on The Pat McAfee show this week.
"What people don't see is the locker room," said Burrow. "Jessie is one of the best people I've ever been around. Hard worker, great teammate. Easy to hang with, great person. You couldn't ask for a better all-around football player and person than Jessie."
This isn't the first time that Burrow has publicly praised Bates and suggested that Cincinnati needs to keep the dynamic safety long-term.
"Jessie’s a big part of this team," said Burrow earlier this summer. "You can put a price tag on what he does on the field, but I don’t think you can on what he does in the locker room. He’s been a guy that has kind of built what we’re doing here. He was one of the first."
"Jessie’s exactly the kind of player that I think you wanna reward for the work that he’s done for the last four years through the ups and the downs. We weren’t very good for three years while he was here. And then he’s been through it all. We’re hoping that everything works out in his favor."
Burrow is very well aware of the weight that his words carry. He's not reckless when he speaks. So the fact that Burrow is being vocal about Bates tells us that the former LSU star badly wants the safety back in Cincinnati next year.
The Bengals were wise to listen to Burrow when he wanted the team to draft Ja'Marr Chase, his former teammate in Baton Rouge. And now they'd be wise to listen to him when it comes to Bates.
Burrow knows what a Bates extension means for the salary cap and his own future. This might be Burrow's way of telling the Bengals to sign Bates and not worry about Burrow's contract.
I don't think Burrow is going to give Cincy a ridiculous discount when it comes time for him to get an extension, but he could be signaling that he's open to a deal that's a bit team friendlier than the deals that some quarterbacks are getting these days.
Cincy needs to trust Burrow. He's completely changed the franchise in just two years, there's no reason to stop listening to him now.
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
