Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates has nothing but love for the Cincinnati Bengals. Speaking with NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Bates looked back at his time in Cincinnati. He was with the team from 2018-22, before signing with the Falcons in 2023.
"They had to pay the offense," Bates said, explaining why the Bengals couldn't keep him. "They had to get those playmakers, those one-in-a-lifetime type of talent in Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, my dawgs. I love those dudes, and we had a great run.
A couple of times at the Super Bowl, those times were some of the greatest times in my life. "I understood that's part of the business. Sometimes, you can't fit everybody in that cap number.
But that number is a little higher nowadays than it was back around COVID. It's part of the journey. I was there for five years.
That place has a special part in my heart for sure." The Bengals selected Bates in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Wake Forest. In his five seasons in Cincinnati, Bates was selected to the All-Pro Second Team in 2020 after posting 109 tackles, three interceptions, and 15 passes defended. In 2023, Bates signed a four-year, $64.02 million contract with the Falcons.
He was selected to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro Second Team in 2023 after registering 132 tackles, three tackles for loss, six interceptions, 11 passes defended, and one interception returned for a touchdown. Last year, Bates was named All-Pro Second Team for the third time after tallying 98 tackles, three interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, and six passes defended. Through seven games this year, Bates has notched 40 tackles, one interception, four passes defended, two forced fumbles, and one fumble returned for a touchdown.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
