For more than a year, it has seemed obvious that 2022 was the last season of Jessie Bates wearing Cincinnati Bengals stripes.
Bates played on the franchise tag last season and had some blunt comments about the reality of his situation in free agency this offseason — as much as he wants to stay with the Bengals, he can’t turn down a massive increase in pay from another team.
Bates’ likely departure is something The Athletic’s Jay Morrison just brought up during a ranking of safety depth charts throughout the league:
“Jessie Bates is as good as gone after playing 2022 on the franchise tag. He’ll get a big contract elsewhere. The Bengals will do everything possible to bring back Vonn Bell, who also is a free agent. Bell still is only 28; he’s cheaper and a team captain who can mentor Dax Hill, the team’s 2022 first-round pick who barely played as a rookie.”
We’ve wondered aloud if a down safety market overall or a down market for Bates might actually encourage the Bengals to make him a competitive offer anyway.
But the Bengals don’t usually do well with Bates’ reps, David Mulugheta included, and it only takes one team on the market to make him a massive offer. He’s been spotted recently hanging out with Falcons players.
As a contender, the Bengals had the luxury of taking the future-minded route with Dax Hill in the first round last year. Barring a stunner, Hill will step into a starting role as a sophomore as the team shifts some of the money from the defense to the offensive side of the ball as names like Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins start to need extensions.
