Falcons 'Best Fit' to Sign Bengals Safety Jessie Bates?
The Atlanta Falcons will have money to spend this offseason if they so choose; $51.7 million is the estimated minimum salary cap figure, which could rise up to $80 million, as some predict.
The Falcons haven't been big players in free agency in recent years, leaning more on building through the NFL Draft. But after coming up short in the NFC South division race, Atlanta could look to spend big.
Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates III, 26, looks to be a potential high-profile player the Falcons could try and land. Pro Football Focus named the Falcons the "best fit" for the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon.
"Bates’ future with the Bengals seems to be nearing an end," PFF said of Bates' situation. "He played this season on the franchise tag, and the team doesn’t seem entirely serious about negotiating a long-term extension to keep him around.
"The Falcons, meanwhile, finished in the bottom five in yards allowed per coverage snap (6.74) and defensive stops against the pass (72) this past season. In the midst of a rebuild, they can solidify their backend by locking up a top safety like Bates to pair with 2021 second-round pick Richie Grant, who is coming off his first season in a full-time role."
Spotrac projects that Bates will earn an average salary of $13.6 million per year over the span of a projected five-year contract.
Bates, could give the Falcons extra security on the backend alongside Grant and form one of the strongest secondaries in the league.
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