Free-agent safety Jessie Bates III, who completed his fourth season and first postseason with the Cincinnati Bengals, appeared with "NFL Now" host Omar Ruiz Wednesday afternoon to discuss his future.
Bates, who turns 25 later this week, was in the final year of his rookie contract, and was hopeful to reach an extension with the Bengals before the season started.
"There's some interesting conversations that will be coming up here soon," Bates said. "Hopefully I'll still be a part of that there in Cincinnati. But there's just something special about the group - the young guys that we have in there. There's a lot of good things to come there in Cincinnati whether I'm there or not.
"There is a business side of this. And I'm happy that I'm able to experience it at 24 years old. A lot of people come in drafted at 24 and they don't really understand the process of this. It takes time. You're not just gonna get exactly what you want whenever you want it. It's just something that's gonna happen - I know it will. I put the work in. I've done my part. The rest of it is in God's hands. So we'll see."
Bates was asked whether he'd play under a franchise tag.
"That's a conversation I think that we'll have with my agency and my team," Bates said. "I put a lot of trust in them with this whole process. I just try to stay focused, control what I can. We'll see. Hopefully I am not under a franchise tag. That's something that I feel like needs to be discussed as an NFLPA a little bit. Some of the top guys have gotten hurt under a franchise tag. You know, it's tough. You know, you only get one shot at this. And you know you've just gotta play your cards right I guess you could say."
Bates was asked whether he wants to return to the Bengals.
"Absolutely," Bates said. "I know what type of men are in that locker room - along with the guys who are leading us. We have awesome coaches. From the strength staff to people upstairs, the scouting department. ... It's hard to find a positive environment, a positive work environment. And I've expressed that to Cincinnati. I mean, I'm only three hours away from here, my hometown (of Ft. Wayne, Ind.). So being able to have my family ... is always a positive as well. So I look forward to be a Cincinnati Bengal. But we'll see what happens, like I said.
"I’m not too worried about the ego part of being the highest paid safety. But I do know value over cost and I think that is something that ... we are going to continue to evaluate over this next couple of weeks. So this is an exciting offseason. I have to continue to get better and level up I think."
Bates was the team's second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He has started all 63 games in which he's played for the team over the past four NFL seasons - in addition to four postseason games.
Bates had one of the Bengals' two interceptions of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in Super Bowl 56. He also intercepted Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill on Tennessee's first play of Cincinnati's Divisional Round win in Nashville.
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