NFL free agency: Predicting the best free agent all 32 teams will sign in 2023
By Ryan Heckman
Predicting the best free agent the New England Patriots will sign: Jessie Bates, S
The New England Patriots rarely spend a ton of money on flashy free agent signings. That’s not a Patriot thing to do. This offseason, though, they’ll address an area of need in a big way by signing Bengals free agent safety Jessie Bates.
New England has free safety Devin McCourty entering free agency at the age of 35 years old this spring, which means there is a good chance they move on and try to find the future at the position. Bates should get a huge pay day after now his fifth season with Cincinnati, and New England would be a great fit.
Bill Belichick has always been a defense-first type of head coach, therefore spending big on defense makes sense for the Patriots. The Patriots have also historically had a fairly good secondary, and although they allow some of their younger defensive backs to leave in free agency, this time they do the opposite. They’ll sign Bates to a generous deal, and he’ll be worth it.
Although Bates hasn’t yet made a Pro Bowl, he’s one of the better safeties in the league and headlines a solid safety market this March.