Jessie Bates

Bates signed a four-year, $64 million deal with the Falcons prior to the 2023 season, making him one of the highest-paid safeties in the league. He lived up to that billing in his first year with the team, topping 1,000 defensive snaps for the first time since 2020. Bates primarily continued to work as a traditional free safety, though the one area he was asked to expand his usage was by stepping into coverage in the slot at a higher rate. He took quite well to that role, posting one of his better completion percentage against rates (63.2 percent) of his career as well as limiting receivers to 12.4 yards per reception. It's difficult to expect more than the 2023 stat line that Bates contributed, but there's no doubt that he'll remain a stalwart with the Atlanta defense. Read Past Outlooks