NFL
By Jalen Willingham
It seems like everyone has taken the time to craft the perfect narrative as to why the Bengals are fools for not paying Jessie Bates without truly looking into the situation in its entirety. It’s no secret that Bates is a very talented player and one of the better Safeties in the NFL, but the story does not end there. After having an All-Pro year in 2020, where he had 109 tackles, 15 pass deflections, and one interception, Bates followed it up with career lows in all these categories. He even allowed a 94.5 passer rating as the primary defender in coverage.
Despite a clear drop-off in play, the Cincinnati Bengals had a Cinderella year that ended being a touchdown away from a Super Bowl victory, and a successful year comes with many players trying to get paid.
While having the worst year of his young career so far, Bates stepped up in the clutch and made big plays to get the Bengals to Super Bowl 56. In the playoffs, Jessie had 20 tackles, 6 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions while having a PFF grade of 90.0.
The question that remains is who is Jessie Bates really? Is he the player we saw in the 2020 season and the most recent playoffs or is he the player we saw in the 2021 regular season? Many fans around the league think the former. The Bengals Organization? Not so much.
The Bengals decided to franchise tag him, which will put him at a salary of $12.9 million for the 2022 season. Bates, of course, wants to get paid like a top safety. Minkah Fitzpatrick’s most recent contract extension of $73.6 million, which is $18.4 million a year, is an example of that. Fitzpatrick’s new deal also isn’t helping the Bengals at all either. With all this accounted for, I’m actually in favor of not paying the player for once in my life as a Bengals fan.
Photo Credit: (Sports Illustrated)
The Bengals shocked the world in the 2021 season. The duo of Joe Burrow and Jamarr Chase proved to be a lethal combo for defenses to face for many years to come. The contracts of quarterbacks have continued to increase in money for many years now. With Joe Burrows’ rise to stardom, a contract extension upwards of $200 million is inevitable.
The explosion in the wide receiver market however has caught many by surprise. The Jacksonville Jaguars decision to give receiver Christian Kirk over $80 million without him ever having a season with 1000 yards completely changed deals for wide receivers going forward. Bengals owner Mike Brown knows that when it’s time for Tee Higgins and Jamarr Chase to get paid, playing cheap will not cut it. They will deservedly get a large payday.
Besides the upcoming negotiations of Burrow, Higgins, and Chase, there are other players that are also worth paying in the future such as Tyler Boyd, Jonah Williams, Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Vonn Bell, and Chidobe Awuzie, and DJ Reader.
The Bengals obviously still want Jessie Bates to play in Cincinnati, but it is business at the end of the day. If I was in Bates shoes, I would play out the 2022 season. Sitting out, while having no leverage whatsoever, is only going to hurt his value in the long run.
