The Bengals said goodbye to star safety Jessie Bate for financial reasons a few years ago, and he still thinks about his opening stint in the NFL. Bates has been one of the best safeties to enter the league since 2010, and he sat down with FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz this week, touching on his time with the Bengals.

If the Falcons want to deal, maybe Bates can become a Bengal again via trade. Cincinnati could use another playmaker at the safety position.

Time To Come Back?

He plays Cincinnati in Madrid on Nov. 9.

"I mean, heck yeah, man! They had to pay the offense, man. They had to get those playmakers, those one-in-a-lifetime type of talent," Bates said to Schultz about the what-if. "I love those dudes, and we had a great run. A couple times at the Super Bowl, and those times were some of the greatest times of my life. So I understood. That's part of the business. Sometimes you can't fit everybody in that cap number. That number is a little higher nowadays than it was back then around COVID, so it's all a blessing, man. It's part of the journey, and I was there for five years. That place has a special part in my heart for sure."

Since leaving the Bengals, Bates hasn't fallen off one bit; in fact, he's gotten better. The veteran is posting an 84.1 Pro Football Focus grade this season and has been at 80-plus in three of his four Falcons seasons.

He would've more than lived up to a new deal with Cincinnati, and they could've made the money work, but things just didn't play out that way.

Eventually, they had to sign Bryan Cook this past offseason to finally bring that position to a palatable level. Alas, Cook's regressed in 2026 due to nagging injury or other reasons. He's posted a career-low 44.7 PFF grade so far in Cincinnati.

"If I could tell any other young guys that come in that building, it's definitely a business. And as much as you know, the performance matters as well. The type of person you are, the character that you have in that locker room, the way you carry yourself definitely matters as well," Bates said.

Bates only has a $7.23 million cap hit on an expiring deal this season and could really help the Bengals in pursuit of another Super Bowl if Atlanta is willing to deal him.

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