National media outlet predicts where Bengals safety Jessie Bates will sign this offseason
The Cincinnati Bengals and safety Jessie Bates are expected to finally part ways this offseason
The Cincinnati Bengals and safety Jessie Bates are expected to finally part ways this offseason.
Over the last two years, the Bengals and Bates have tried to work out an extension. But the two sides have never been able to agree on a deal.
After playing on the franchise tag last season, the expectation is that Bates, who turned 26 in late February, will sign a long-term deal with another team this offseason.
Recent reports have suggested that the Cleveland Browns are expected to show interest in Bates when free agency starts later this month.
CBS Sports, however, thinks Bates will leave the AFC. They're predicting that the Minnesota Vikings will sign the former Wake Forest standout.
Minnesota could be in for a major overhaul of its porous secondary, with CB Patrick Peterson and S Harrison Smith expected to set sail. Bates, meanwhile, has been one of the NFL's steadiest roaming safeties of the last half-decade; his ball skills (14 career picks) would surely aid the CB group as well. He's also just 26, making him a longer-term bet.
Bates has never reached a Pro Bowl, but he should still be viewed as a top safety thanks in large part to his leadership skills and locker room presence.
Throughout all of the contract talk with the Bengals, Bates remained a pro. He never let the contract stuff impact his play on the field or his presence in the locker room.
There's still a slight chance he could return to Cincy in 2023, though it's a long shot. The Bengals could place the franchise tag on Bates again. He'd earn 120 percent of his 2022 salary (a little over $15 million which would be all guaranteed).
While Cincinnati probably can't afford to sign Bates to a long-term deal (due to looming extensions for Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and possibly Tee Higgins), they could afford to bring him back for one more shot at a Super Bowl on the one-year franchise tag deal.
Again, it's unlikely. But with the Bengals eyeing a Super Bowl run in 2023, I wouldn't completely rule it out.
Featured image via Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
