Jessie Bates broke a Falcons drought that's lasted over 35 years in Week 8 loss

The Atlanta Falcons' Week 8 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offered little to be excited about, but star safety Jessie Bates has been one of the biggest bright spots across the last couple of weeks, and that trend continued despite what some may call the most pathetic loss in franchise history.

While the Falcons collectively fell flat, Bates was as good as he's been all year. Had it not been for him, they would've lost by a lot more because his peanut punch of Bucs star RB Bucky Irving on the one-yard line was a touchdown-saving play, as Irving instead fumbled it out of the end zone.

According to Tori McElhaney, Bates became the first Falcons defender since Jessie Tuggle in 1990 to force a fumble in three consecutive games with that forced fumble, so that's a 36-year streak he just broke. And while things are pretty gloomy in Atlanta currently, it's been a treat to get to watch him shine week in and week out.

The only players in the NFL who have forced more fumbles than the multi-time All-Pro through eight weeks are Fred Warner and Quincy Williams, who each have four forced fumbles on the year. So as if you needed any more proof the Dirty Birds need to sign him to an extension ASAP, there you have it.

The Atlanta Falcons need to extend Jessie Bates as soon as possible

Jessie Bates III is one of the best players in football at perfecting the art of the peanut punch, which is why he's been playing like one of the better safeties in football after a slow start. He's been playing out of his mind of late, and his ability to create takeaways and elevate this defense is second to none. So with him in the midst of a contract year, we know what needs to be done.

With the trade deadline looming, not only should the 3-5 Falcons not even consider trading away their star safety at the deadline, it's time to sign him to a major extension. The price tag has only gone up, and it's obvious this Atlanta defense can't afford to lose arguably their most important player.

With that in mind, it's time for Ian Cunningham to pay him before the price tag goes up anymore. Spotrac projects his market value to be around three years and $50 million, so the $16.7 million in AAV isn't a big difference from the $16 million a year he landed on his first contract from the team.

That makes this decision a no-brainer. He's still playing at a very high level (and has even out-played Xavier Watts this season), so there's no comp pick or draft capital the Falcons will get back in return that will make a larger impact on their defense than Bates.

I know you may be thinking it seems risky to extend a safety who's just a couple of months away from his 30th birthday, but safety has more longevity than other positions. Harrison Smith is still going at 37, Kevin Byard is 33, and Tyrann Mathieu retired at 33. Safeties can last into their early-to-mid 30s.

Given Jessie Bates III has been the best leader and one of the best players on this Falcons team, it's obvious letting him go would be a mistake, so his clutch play against Bucky Irving all bit confirmed a new extension should be coming his way.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow