Just the other day, you could've made the argument that the Atlanta Falcons' biggest mistake of the offseason was signing Nick Folk. But that has changed in a flash.
Jessie Bates III was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars with his contract expiring at season's end. The loss is a punch in the gut to the defense, and essentially the front office saying the season is over.
What it also does is call into question the decision by Matt Ryan and Ian Cunningham to extend Kyle Pitts over the veteran defender. With the lack of playing time and production the tight end has put up and the unbelievable season Bates has had, it is clear the team made a huge offseason mistake.
The Falcons should have chose to extend Jessie Bates over Kyle Pitts
The Dirty Birds signed many players to extensions this offseason: Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Matthew Bergeron, and Pitts. The first three players were no-brainers, but the fourth started the questions.
This isn't an attack on Pitts as a player; he can be a perennial 1,000-yard tight end. But that isn't the case in this offense, which is surprising considering Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees' love for the position. But since he hasn't been blocking well, he's ceded snaps to Austin Hooper and Nick Muse.
And then you had Jessie Bates, who was entering the final year of his deal. He wasn't coming off his best season, but he is a stalwart for the defense. And they didn't re-sign him.
In other words, they extended a player who has played 59% of the offensive snaps and has 25 receptions for 220 yards and four touchdowns in nine games over a player who has played 97% of the defensive snaps and has 60 tackles, three forced fumbles, an interception, and a defensive touchdown.
Tell me which player you would rather have...
When you look at the money, it gets even worse. Pitts is getting paid an average of $18 million per year. Bates will likely land around the $16M number he signed for a few years ago.
The only argument in favor of the Falcons' decision is age and the return they got for their defensive leader. Bates is 29 years old, while Pitts just turned 26 years old. The multi-time All-Pro returned a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick from Jacksonville.
What would Pitts have fetched? Likely not as much, but a Day 2 pick isn't out of the question from a team willing to bet on his potential.
Balance the scale, and I would say extending Bates and letting the former top-five pick play out the year on the franchise tag would've been the correct move. Instead, they're paying a guy who may not even be a top-10 tight end in the NFL
Instead, they are left with a gaping hole on the back end of their defense and a tight end who they must give more playing time to. The likelihood they will find a player of Bates' caliber with either of those picks is slim to none. It is certainly a painful trade for everyone.
Add us as a preferred source on Google