The Falcons lost a notable contributor to retirement when right tackle Kaleb McGary hung up his cleats Wednesday. Shortly before the McGary news broke, safety Jessie Bates declared that he would like to spend the rest of his career in Atlanta (via Josh Kendall of The Athletic).
“I want to retire as a Falcon,” the eight-year veteran said. “My family loves it here.”
Unlike McGary, the 29-year-old Bates is not ready to walk away. But with just one season left on his contract, Bates’ long-term future with the Falcons is in question. The sides have not engaged in extension talks.
A highly productive Bengal over his first five seasons, the former second-round pick left Cincinnati for Atlanta after the 2022 campaign. The Falcons gave Bates a four-year, $64MM contract, then one of the five all-time richest deals at the position.
The Falcons have extended their playoff drought to eight years since they added Bates, but he has been worth the investment. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder has not missed a game in Atlanta, where he has started in all 51 appearances. His defensive snap shares have ranged from 98.38% to 99.47% in each of his Falcons seasons, and he has added 13 interceptions and eight forced fumbles. The ball-hawking Bates picked off a career-high six passes and amassed 132 tackles in 2023, which is surprisingly his lone Pro Bowl season to date. He also earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Bates was a second-team All-Pro for the third time last season, during which he came down with another three INTs and upped his career total to 27. After working with safeties Richie Grant and Justin Simmons over his first two years in Atlanta, Bates teamed with a new partner in Xavier Watts last season. Watts emerged as a core defender as a rookie, giving the Falcons at least one long-term safety starter.
Bates is set to join Watts for at least another year, but it could be their last as a tandem. While Bates wants to ride out his career in Atlanta, his fate is in the hands of a front office that was not in place when he joined the team.