Browns Rumors: Bengals Top Free Agent ‘Would Love’ to Sign With Cleveland

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The Cleveland Browns plan to release safety John Johnson III when the new NFL league year opens on March 15, so they’re in need of a replacement and Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates III might be just the ticket.

According to a new report from Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, Bates “would love” to play with Deshaun Watson and the Browns if he isn’t re-signed by the Bengals.

Cabot wrote, “Bengals safety Jessie Bates III, a 2020 second-team All-Pro, would love to play with Watson if he hits the market, a league source says.”

Bates, the Bengals’ biggest-name free agent set to hit the open market, himself has said that he wants to play in Cincinnati but only if the money is right. He likes being close to his family, who are only three hours away in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but moving to Cleveland is hardly any farther away.

“I want to be here,” Bates told Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson in late January 2023. “Unfortunately, this business, there’s different scenarios where I’m not in a situation where I can leave $10 million on the table and be OK with that. It wouldn’t be fair to myself, my family, my legacy. Obviously yes I want to be here. My family is three hours away from here. I’ve created bonds in this locker room. I want to be here.”

Jessie Bates’ Market Value Is Currently Listed at $14 Million

According to Spotrac, Bates’ current market value is listed at $14 million a year, which ranks him as the ninth-highest safety with a four-year contract listed at $56.2 million.

In order to be competitive to go after Bates, the Browns could restructure Watson’s contract, which currently sits at $230 million for five years. According to Cabot, Watson is open to restructuring if it means they could pick up some quality talent via trades or free agency.

And general manager Andrew Berry said at his NFL Combine press conference that they’re open to restructuring Watson’s contract, telling reporters, “It could be on the table, but there is a lot of flexibility in terms of what we can do from a cap perspective.”

The Browns currently sit over $12 million over the salary cap, according to Spotrac, so they have to do something by March 15, which is the day the NFL League Year begins.

Either way, Bates is considered one of the top free agents — Pro Football Focus has him ranked fourth in all of free agency — and the Browns may see themselves in a bidding war for the safety. But it won’t be with the Bengals.

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said at the 2023 NFL Combine that they “value” Bates a lot, but they’re also going to let the chips fall where they may.

“We’ll see,” Tobin said about re-signing Bates. “It’ll depend. It won’t be probably something that happens right away, but we’ll see. I don’t know where the market will go for Jessie. We value him a lot. He’s been a really good player for us and a really good leader for us and we’d love to have him back, but we’ll see where the chips fall on that.”

He later added, “To me, it’s important to get every good player back that contributed to our success. Is it realistic? Probably not, but is it important? Yes. We aren’t going to freeze out options with any of them.”

Is Going After Jessie Bates the Best Move for the Browns?

ESPN has suggested that the best free agent fit for the Browns is Jessie Bates, but the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show hosts aren’t so sure because they think the Browns have more pressing needs — though they do acknowledge how good of a football player Bates is.

“It doesn’t address their biggest needs,” said host Jay Crawford when they were discussing the ESPN article.

Adam “The Bull” Gerstenhaber added, “The only way it’s not a miss is if they trade for a defensive tackle and a wide receiver … Jessie Bates is an excellent football player. He will make the Browns better. He’s better than any safety the Browns have had in as long as I can remember. But I don’t think that’s an urgent need for them.”