Atlanta Falcons Restructure Jessie Bates Contract; Have One Roster Spot to Fill

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates helped open $7.5 million in cap space, while the Falcons have one-open roster spot.

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III restructured his contract Wednesday. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons have created $7.5 million in cap space, restructuring the contract of All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III on Wednesday.

Atlanta converted $11.25 million of Bates' contract into a signing bonus for salary cap purposes, according to NFL insider Aaron Wilson. As a result, Bates' cap hit dropped from $17.5 million to $10 million. The cap number will rise to $22.25 million in 2025 and $22.27 million in 2026.

The Falcons now have $6.464 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap. Atlanta needed the salary cap relief to sign another player -- the active roster currently holds only 52 players, with one spot remaining open.

Since trading backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke to the Los Angeles Chargers on Aug. 28, the Falcons have left the final roster spot vacant. They now have the financial freedom to address it -- thanks in part to Bates, whose value off the field is nearly as impactful as he is on it.

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Last season, Bates led the Falcons in tackles with 132 while recording six of the team's eight interceptions. He also had three forced fumbles, a trio of tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with 11 passes defended.

Among defensive backs league-wide, Bates trailed only Minnesota Vikings standout Camryn Bynum (137) in tackles, while his six interceptions were the third-most. As a result, Bates earned his first career Pro Bowl appearance while being named second-team All-Pro for the second time in his six-year career.

Now, Bates is helping the Falcons' front office -- beyond proving them right for their four-year, $64.02 million investment last spring.