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It is fair to say the majority of New York Jets fans are excited about the 2022 season.
With so many additions on both sides of the ball, there is a palpable energy that this could be a special year for the green and white.
That energy has led some fans to speculate what other moves could be on the horizon to take this team to another level.
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Trying to Manifest This Trade
On Friday, July 15 at 4:00 pm ET we reached the franchise tag extension deadline in the NFL. Any player who received the tag that didn’t reach a long-term agreement with their team will now be forced to play this upcoming season on the tag.
That list includes Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates.
After not reaching a deal with the Bengals, Bates is expected to make his displeasure known. NFL Insider Josina Anderson says she has been told that Bates has “no intentions” of reporting for training camp nor playing this season on the franchise tag.
Technically speaking Bates isn’t under contract until he signs his franchise tender, which means he can hold out without penalty until we reach the 2022 regular season.
At that moment and time, he will continue to not get paid, even with games being played. With that level of frustration existing some Jets fans have started to dream about a possible tag-and-trade scenario that could bring Bates to New York.
This proposed trade is heavily influenced by a Jets fan and likely wouldn’t be enough to get the deal done, but you have to respect the passion.
Not everyone is a fan of Ashtyn Davis, the former third-round pick of the Jets. Right now he is a backup but will have an opportunity to unseat veteran Lamarcus Joyner.
If you give a hard look at the Jets’ secondary the most questionable piece is the opposite starter of Jordan Whitehead. If you replace that guy with Bates, this could arguably be one of the best secondaries in all of football.
It seems like Jacob is one of many Jets fans who are trying to manifest this possible trade into existence.
Unlikely Path
Bates is still only 25 years old and is widely considered one of the best safeties in all of football:
- Second-team All-Pro (2020)
- 10 career interceptions
- 35 pass deflections
- Over 408 total tackles
As exciting as it would be to pull off a tag-and-trade, Jets Today is one of many who has recently told fans not to hold their breath.
When you look historically at recent tag-and-trade scenarios they all have a few things in common.
The Jets would have to surrender significant draft compensation and/or some players to bring in the talented star. Also, it would put them in a difficult pickle because they wouldn’t be allowed to negotiate a long-term deal since that deadline passed on Friday.
In other words, the Jets would be trading for Bates knowing he would be on a one-year deal for 2022. Once you reached the offseason then you could negotiate a long-term deal.
The problem with that strategy is Bates would have all the leverage since you traded whatever you did to get him. If you tagged him again next year he could threaten to hold out again and that could be a bad locker room situation.
All in all, there is a natural fit for Bates in this Jets secondary, but with all the variables to make this happen, it seems too complicated to pull off. Keep dreaming Jets fans and maybe you can speak it into existence.
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