Why the 49ers Should Trade for Jessie Bates

The 49ers can't do anything of consequence until they get rid of Jimmy Garoppolo. But once they do that, they'll create more than $25 million of salary cap space, which will allow them to attempt to trade for former second-team All Pro safety Jessie Bates. And if the 49ers get Bates, they'll become legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Bates, 25, is a former second-round pick who has intercepted 10 passes in four career seasons. The Bengals recently gave him the franchise tag, and he says he refuses to report to training camp or play at all this season without a multi-year extension. Perhaps the Bengals will call his bluff, or maybe they'll trade him right before the season starts.

If the Bengals decide to trade Bates, the 49ers should be the first team on the phone with Cincinnati, because the 49ers arguably are one or two players away from being Super Bowl favorites -- they went to the NFC Championship last season. And the 49ers currently have only one proven starting safety on the team -- Jimmie Ward. And he's 31. And he'll be a free agent next year.

The 49ers absolutely need another safety, preferrably an elite one they can keep for the long haul. That's Bates. He instantly would become the 49ers' best defensive back and would create a secondary that would rival any secondary in the NFL.

In addition to giving Bates a lucrative extension, the 49ers would have to send Cincinnati draft picks, and the 49ers don't have a first-rounder until 2024. Still, maybe the two sides can work something out.

Trading for Bates is the all-in move the 49ers need to make.