All-Pro safety Jessie Bates wants to stay with Bengals past 2021

Bengals safety Jessie Bates has become a vital part of Cincinnati's defense who is good for at least 100 total tackles each season, who hasn't missed a start since Cincinnati selected him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft and who earned All-Pro second-team honors from The Associated Press for the 2020 campaign. 

The 24-year-old is in the early stages of the final year of his rookie deal but says he doesn't want to go anywhere past the upcoming season. 

"Obviously, I feel like I’m a core piece in Cincinnati. My family is three hours away, so I would love to be here," Bates explained, according to Laurel Pfahler of the Dayton Daily News. "My main goal is to take that next level that I keep saying as a leader on this team. The money part of it will come. I just want to win. That’s all I care about is winning. The money part of it will come. Not just for me, but for everybody in this program." 

Like everyone else associated with the Bengals, Bates now has a summer break until he has to report for training camp near the end of July. With Cincinnati looking to build a championship-caliber roster around the returning Joe Burrow, signing Bates to a fair yet discounted extension between now and August preseason games could benefit all involved.