Falcons' Jessie Bates III 'Fits The Culture,' Says GM Terry Fontenot
The Atlanta Falcons had a busy offseason, making many changes on both sides of the ball.
Arguably the biggest signing the team made in the past few months came with former Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates III, who inked a four-year contract worth just over $64 million.
Bates is one of the best safeties in the NFL when he's on the field, but he also brings a lot to the table outside of that.
“Everything he can bring, outside of obviously the football player, he’s been a good football player in this league. We also know the person he is and what he’s going to bring to the locker room," Fontenot said. "We know the brand of football that we play here and we know how we’re going to win games here, so you have to fit that ethos and fit that culture and we know Jessie fits that.”
Bates played his first five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and made Second-Team All-Pro in 2020. He played on the franchise tag in 2022 and tallied a career-high four interceptions.
Before 2022, Bates had at least 100 tackles in his first three seasons. He also had three interceptions in each of the first three seasons of his career. Atlanta was 24th in the league with 10 interceptions and 31st in sacks with 21. They were also 23rd in points allowed per game with 22.7.
Perhaps Bates can bring that magic back to the Falcons secondary this season.
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