Getty The 49ers and Bengals from December 12, 2021.
The San Francisco 49ers have been labeled as a 2022 “potential” trade partner for one of the league’s rising talents at safety, who spent last season on a Super Bowl run.
NFL analyst Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports placed the 49ers as one of eight possible trade spots for Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates on Monday, July 18.
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Why Bates is the Subject of Trade Talks & Linked to the 49ers
While Bates has thrived with the Bengals since his arrival to the league as a second rounder out of Wake Forest in 2018, Bates has become the subject of trade rumors this offseason.
For starters, he’s seeking a longer term deal following the AFC title run he helped deliver for the Bengals. Per Spotrac, Bates is on a one-year deal that gives him a base salary of $12,911,000.
But per CBS NFL insider Josina Anderson, Bates is already planning to be a training camp no show when the Bengals return to the field.
“I’m told Bengals S Jessie Bates has no intentions of reporting to training camp, nor playing on the franchise tag, per league source,” says Anderson. “The two sides are currently unable to come to terms on an extension on today’s deadline for long-term deals for players designated with the tag.”
But why are the 49ers being mentioned as one of the possibilities for the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder? Benjamin believes that outside of a returning captain, the 49ers are lacking depth in the backbone of the S.F. defense.
“Jimmie Ward has quietly but steadily risen to be one of San Francisco’s top players on the back end of a stingy “D,” but Jaquiski Tartt and linebacker hybrid Marcell Harris, who combined to start 21 games in 2021, are both gone,” Benjamin explained. “Their successor, Talanoa Hufanga, a 2021 fifth-rounder, saw limited action as a rookie. The 49ers figure to rely even more on their defense to make another title push now that Trey Lance is taking over at QB, but they also already spent big at corner for Charvarius Ward.”
Is There Room for Bates?
Bates is an intriguing name this late in the trade market.
After all, he not only emerged as a defensive captain for the AFC champion Bengals, but he’s snatched 10 career interceptions including picking off three footballs in his first four seasons in the league. And per Pro Football Reference, Bates has broken up 35 total passes in his career and has produced between 88 to 111 total tackles every season.
He even delivered one of his better outings against the 49ers during their epic December 12, 2021 overtime game won by S.F. Bates finished with nine tackles including eight solo stops — which was his second game of hitting that solo tackle mark in the ’21 season (the other was the 25-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers on October 10). And, he pulled this interception in during Super Bowl 56:
INT @jlbiii3
@Bengals ball with two minutes left in the first half
@RamsNFL 13 @Bengals 10
#RamsHouse | #RuleItAll
📺 #SBLVI on @Channel7 @ESPNAusNZ & @1116sen
However, if the 49ers were to consider Bates, it won’t be an easy feat.
For one, there’s still the pending status of Jimmy Garoppolo with whether or not he gets traded or released from his $137.5 million contract. The 49ers also have their pending contract negotiation talks with Deebo Samuel, who himself asked to be dealt away during April 2022 although became a participant in June minicamp.
Lastly, the 49ers did add some safety depth during the free agency period by signing 2020 Pro Bowler George Odum from the Indianapolis Colts.
If the Bengals and Bates were to entertain trade offers, Benjamin cites the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles as the No. 2 and No. 1 destinations for the incoming fifth-year safety in that order.