WATCH: Bengals Free Agent DB Jessie Bates III Eats Dinner With Falcons Stars; Future Teammates?
The Atlanta Falcons are going into the offseason with the second-most cap space in the NFL.
That will give general manager Terry Fontenot and the front office a lot of power and opportunity to target the top players in this year's free agent class, including Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates III.
Bates can't officially sign his new contract until the beginning of free agency on Mar. 15, but he's likely exploring his options to prepare for when he's looking for a new teammate.
Bates, who is represented by super-agent David Mulugheta, had dinner Saturday night with three Falcons, A.J. Terrell, Casey Hayward and Kyle Pitts. All four of the athletes are represented by Mulugheta.
Here's a video of their night below, which was posted on Mulugheta's Instagram story and re-posted by All Bengals' James Rapien ...
Bates recorded 71 tackles this past season and a career-high four interceptions. While the 2022 season may not have been Bates' best, he is still one of the elite safeties in the game and should be the highest-paid free agent at his position this summer.
The Bengals likely will explore keeping Bates, but have to keep in mind that there are other free agents they want to sign that could take priority over him in a few years, like quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Tee Higgins.
If Cincinnati isn't willing to pay Bates, Atlanta could swoop in with one of the highest offers for him to join a strong secondary with Terrell, Hayward and Richie Grant.
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