WATCH: Bengals Free Agent DB Jessie Bates III Eats Dinner With Falcons Stars; Future Teammates?

The Atlanta Falcons could look to sign Cincinnati Bengals free agent safety Jessie Bates III this offseason.

Jeremy Brener | Feb 19, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

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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Published Feb 19, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.