If you look up Sports Illustrated Under Age 25 All-Star List announced this week, it's an impressive list of names. Fantasy Football Fans may do well to pull up this list on internet. They said one of the Safeties was an easy choice of Jesse Bates, who they say is not just the best secondary player on Bengals, but one of the best secondary players in the NFL. So it makes me sick that Bates contract runs out at the end of this season. The Bengals need to come off The Cheap and offer him a long contract better than his low pay rookie contract. The idea should be to build a solid team around Joe Burrow, so they should resign the only Bengal on the Under 25 Age All-Star List. They need to resign Bates before the season, because Bengals for the most part refuse to talk contracts once season starts. If Bengals do not resign Bates before September Opening Game with Vikings, it will show The Bengals are Too Cheap to build a team around Burrow and Too Cheap to ever want that Play-Off Win that they haven't had since Paul Brown died over 30 years ago.

Bates is on All-Star list of players under 25, and it's an impressive list of NFL players. So if Bengals do not resign Bates this summer, then Bengals will again show why they haven't won a Play-Off Game since Paul Brown died. They will show Mike Brown is Too Cheap To Win. Not signing Bates should make fans question Bengals ownership and why fans should continue to follow this team, and why fans should buy tickets and support such Cheap ownership.

Now some will say Bengals will have Burrow and these WR's so who needs Bates. The Bengals Defense needs Bates, and offense is only one third of an NFL team. Also, we don't know how good the blocking and offense is. JESSE BATES is under 25 and already one of the best players in NFL. The Bengals letting such a good young player go Free Agent would be just Too Cheap to accept. That would be going Too Cheap. Letting Bates go also defeats all you people who follow The Draft. The whole point of The Draft is to get good young talent. Most Draft Picks are Busts. The goal then is to Keep and Resign the few Draft Picks that become solid NFL Players. So if the Bengals do not resign Jesse Bates, then The NFL Draft is pointless to Bengals. I can see Bengals letting Draft Picks such as Ross go, since they never developed into top NFL players, but you do not let Drat Picks like Bates go who did develop into top NFL players. That would defeat the whole point of even having an NFL Draft.

Resign Bates NOW if this losing franchise really wants to end the 30 years of no play-off wins since Paul Brown died. For to Win, you need good players, not good excuses. if the Bengals are looking years ahead with Burrow on Offense, then they must also look years ahead with Bates on Defense, to build a Winning Team in The 2020's Decade. Bates as one of the top NFL safeties even more needed with NFL teams playing fewer Linebackers due to pass happy rule changes. Safeties are becoming the new Dick Butkus or Ray Lewis of Todays NFL playing 5 or 6 defensive back players most of the time. It would be Foolish not to sign Bates, but Bengals owner Mike Browns 30 years of losing shows they are Foolish enough. Time is running out on resigning Bates. If he goes Free Agent, Bengals will lose a top young player to another team smarter than Mike Brown Family.

Kudos to Bates on this well deserved honor !

Agree that absolutely he needs to be re-signed or we will most likely lose him or be forced to tag him.

(07-04-2021, 11:10 AM)kevin Wrote: So it makes me sick that Bates contract runs out at the end of this season. The Bengals need to come off The Cheap and offer him a long contract better than his low pay rookie contract. 

Resign Bates NOW if this losing franchise really wants to end the 30 years of no play-off wins since Paul Brown died.

Kevin, I wouldn't worry about this too much just yet.  Historically these extensions get worked late in the summer.  Here's a few examples...

Joe Mixon --------- Sept. 1st
AJ Green ---------- Sept. 11th
Geno Atkins ------ Aug. 28th
Carlos Dunlap ---- Aug. 28th
Andy Dalton ------ Aug. 4th
Gio Bernard ------- Sept. 4th
Vontaze Burfict ---- Sept 7th

Now it doesn't always happen this way, but it does more often than not.

That said, the rest of your post is spot on.  Bates is an absolute must-sign. 

People may not want to hear this, but he's the only elite level player on this entire roster.  While Boyd and Higgins are damn fine receivers, they ranked in the low 20's, high 30's in production.  While Joe Mixon is an above average back, he's nowhere near the elite RB's.  While Joe Burrow had an impressive start to his career, he's not quite there yet.  But Bates is an elite level safety.  He's one of the very best in the entire league.

So, yeah there is absolutely no excuse to not get this deal done.  The cap space is there and the coming few years should provide plenty of flexibility in managing a huge raise.

Fwiw, I think it will get done.  Just be a patient.  The time to panic will be if it's not done by the season opener.  The Bengals don't typically work deals during the season and using a tag on him after the season isn't the best approach.  And obviously letting him walk would be the absolute worst.

I don't think the Bengals are being cheap, for all we know a deal could be done now and not announced. I'm positive they will pay Jesse.

Yeah confident they will sign him as well. Love the kid.

No way in hell we let him walk.

Worst case scenario: we tag him just to give us more time to work out a long-term deal.

(07-04-2021, 11:38 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Kevin, I wouldn't worry about this too much just yet.  Historically these extensions get worked late in the summer.  Here's a few examples...

Joe Mixon --------- Sept. 1st
AJ Green ---------- Sept. 11th
Geno Atkins ------ Aug. 28th
Carlos Dunlap ---- Aug. 28th
Andy Dalton ------ Aug. 4th
Gio Bernard ------- Sept. 4th
Vontaze Burfict ---- Sept 7th

Now it doesn't always happen this way, but it does more often than not.

That said, the rest of your post is spot on.  Bates is an absolute must-sign. 

People may not want to hear this, but he's the only elite level player on this entire roster.  While Boyd and Higgins are damn fine receivers, they ranked in the low 20's, high 30's in production.  While Joe Mixon is an above average back, he's nowhere near the elite RB's.  While Joe Burrow had an impressive start to his career, he's not quite there yet.  But Bates is an elite level safety.  He's one of the very best in the entire league.

So, yeah there is absolutely no excuse to not get this deal done.  The cap space is there and the coming few years should provide plenty of flexibility in managing a huge raise.

Fwiw, I think it will get done.  Just be a patient.  The time to panic will be if it's not done by the season opener.  The Bengals don't typically work deals during the season and using a tag on him after the season isn't the best approach.  And obviously letting him walk would be the absolute worst.

Absolutely gotta get him inked. He's got great athletic ability, and they don't have many people that aren't very smart at Wake Forest. He's only gonna get better the more he sees on the field. This guy has All Pro potential.

(07-05-2021, 03:37 AM)BFritz21 Wrote: No way in hell we let him walk.  

Worst case scenario: we tag him just to give us more time to work out a long-term deal.

The Tag IS the worst case scenario because it just ticks players and player reps off.  It does not give teams an extra year to work a contract. It only makes the player want to leave more.  Some fans may wonder why, and fans may see nothing wrong with The Tag, but players do.  The one year tag gives the player no security and if he gets injured, no team may want the player.  When a player gives a team good years, he expects rewarded with a good long term contract, not the slap in the face tag.  If Bengals do not want to sign him long term, there are many other teams that will. So a player would rather have another team sign them long term than be tagged one more year by a team showing him no respect. Plus these players would like to have a home and a family. A good young player like Bates should be able to put down roots for him and his family, not be jerked around by a franchise that refuses to sign him. 

It would also make no sense on Bengals part to use the tag.  For one more year they pay him at top salary tag price, and lose a very good young player after that year. Then what, the Bengals go shopping for another safety, and they will not find one as good and young as Bates. 

I would like to say, no way they let him walk. But we are talking Mike Brown and Family who let Montoya and Zeitler walk as Mikey said, " Why should I pay a Guard ".   Mikey may also feel Safeties deserve little money.  Mike Brown and Family worry me over Going CHEAP in the past. You would think it's just common sense to build a good team around Burrow with Bates a part of it, but Mike Brown Family doesn't always show common sense. This is backed up by 30 years without a play-off win since Paul Brown died, and the Kids took over. 

Sign Bates NOW. I also don't like the concept of waiting until first week of September. They should be Focused on first game of season at that point. They should know now if they are going to resign him or not. We are not talking about somebody just barely hanging on. We are talking about the best young Safety in The NFL. If Bengals don't know by now if they are going to resign the best young safety in The NFL, then I wish Mike Brown and Family would just sell the team to people who aren't so wicky wacky at running a team.

So what you're saying is Mike Brown is cheap and they should sign Jessie Bates to an extension?

At least one news agency is actually watching the games and not listing last year's favorites.

We'll have to see if Mike Brown and the Blackburns can get this one right.

I really hope they extend Bates. It's nice to have a top-tier safety on this team. Haven't had one in a long time.
I'd even be willing to move on from Waynes after this season to help cover the cost of Bates.

Why is Joe Burrow not on this list?

(07-08-2021, 01:22 PM)EatonFan Wrote: Why is Joe Burrow not on this list?

I actually can't find this list so I don't know who is exactly on it, but this would be his competition for the All 25 and under team...

Patrick Mahomes (25)
Lamar Jackson (24)
Josh Allen (25)
Deshaun Watson (25)
Kyler Murray (23)
Justin Herbert (23)
Trevor Lawrence (21)

Not necessarily saying that all of these QB's are better but I think it's pretty obvious why he's not on this list (unless the team has 4+ QB's).

(07-06-2021, 03:10 PM)BengalChris Wrote: We'll have to see if Mike Brown and the Blackburns can get this one right.

It won't matter how much they offer if he does not want a long term deal here.

A player will almost always take a contract extension instead of playing out his final year risking an injury, but right now Bates is looking at another possible coaching change and another re-building phase.  Maybe he just does not want to sign here.

(07-08-2021, 04:11 PM)fredtoast Wrote: It won't matter how much they offer if he does not want a long term deal here.

A player will almost always take a contract extension instead of playing out his final year risking an injury, but right now Bates is looking at another possible coaching change and another re-building phase.  Maybe he just does not want to sign here.

That is true.

Can he opt-out for Covid in 2021? LOL

If he doesn't want to play for in Cinci, then he could be traded for a 1st round pick, possibly a little more. It would be a smarter move than waiting for a 3rd round pick in a couple of years, the Mike Brown preferred strategy.

 

(07-08-2021, 01:33 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: I actually can't find this list so I don't know who is exactly on it, but this would be his competition for the All 25 and under team...

Patrick Mahomes (25)
Lamar Jackson (24)
Josh Allen (25)
Deshaun Watson (25)
Kyler Murray (23)
Justin Herbert (23)
Trevor Lawrence (21)

Not necessarily saying that all of these QB's are better but I think it's pretty obvious why he's not on this list (unless the team has 4+ QB's).

I'm just sayin' if Joe Burrow is all that and a bag of chips.... he should be on this list.

Wanted Jessie Bates III before we drafted him. Happy he has lived up to my expectations for the most part. I do think he
needs to clean up his tackling still which I think he can do, so yeah, pay the man. Nice to see him get some recognition.

Bates is arguably the best FS in the NFL right now and is the best of the young guys IMO.

(07-08-2021, 04:11 PM)fredtoast Wrote: It won't matter how much they offer if he does not want a long term deal here.

A player will almost always take a contract extension instead of playing out his final year risking an injury, but right now Bates is looking at another possible coaching change and another re-building phase.  Maybe he just does not want to sign here.

Good grief, the storm clouds follow this board around. Do Jessie Bates' actions this pre-season speak to a man that does not want to play here and is looking to get out, or do they speak to a man that wants this team to gel and win?

(07-08-2021, 07:19 PM)EatonFan Wrote: I'm just sayin' if Joe Burrow is all that and a bag of chips.... he should be on this list.

Why?  I'm assuming the list only has 1 or 2 QB's on it.

Why can't Joe Burrow still be a very good young QB while not being on this list?  Does being "all of that and  bag of chips" mean you have to better than a league MVP after only 10 starts?

(07-09-2021, 08:34 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Good grief, the storm clouds follow this board around. Do Jessie Bates' actions this pre-season speak to a man that does not want to play here and is looking to get out, or do they speak to a man that wants this team to gel and win?

I haven't seen anything from him except he is excited to play this season. He is becoming a leader here.

We just need to start winning and he should be a big part of that.