As we inch closer to the start of the regular season, the Cincinnati Bengals don’t appear to be close to an extension with safety Jessie Bates. This absolutely needs to change before the season kicks off in September.
Alicia de Artola of FanSided wrote an article detailing what every AFC North team needs to do before the season begins. For the Bengals, it was — you guessed it — extending Bates. Here is what de Artola had to say:
"Bates expressed a desire to stay with the Bengals, so the urgency is less about fear of losing him and more about the price.Pro Football Focus graded Bates as the No. 1 safety in the NFL in 2020. Cincinnati is going to have to pay him like it.The Broncos made Justin Simmons the highest-paid safety in the league at $15.2 million per year. Bates deserves that kind of money."
Bates has quietly been one of the best at his position since entering the league in 2018 and deserves to get paid like an elite safety. The position might not be one of the most important ones in the league but when a team has good players, it’s important to do whatever it takes to keep them in town.
The Cincinnati Bengals need to extend Jessie Bates sooner rather than later.
Bates was the highlight of an otherwise weak defense last year and the Bengals would be foolish to not extend him before the season begins. He’ll be a hot commodity on the free-agent market if he gets there and the Bengals can avoid getting in a bidding war by giving him the kind of contract he deserves now.
de Artola mentioned the contract that Justin Simmons received this offseason and that’s doable for the Bengals, who are seventh in the league in cap space per Over the Cap. They can afford to pay their star player and they need to do it, especially with this season being do or die for head coach Zac Taylor.
Bates has expressed interest in wanting to stay with the Bengals and that’s a great start in negotiating a potential deal. This is a no-brainer for Cincinnati and an extension needs to get done soon. Hopefully, the team rewards Bates for his hard work and keeps him in Cincinnati for the foreseeable future.