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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/JCameron181 on 2026-04-09 03:14:35+00:00.
Bates also said:
“I think every year is a one-year contract. Things can change. People can get traded, get cut. That’s the mindset you’ve got to have when you’re talking about a one-year approach. Whether I had two years left on my deal or I had one, I would come in here and work like I only had one.”
“I say every year you have something to prove. Every single year you have to prove to whoever it is that you’re still this player, or this leader. Whatever it is, you want to go and prove to somebody that you’re still that guy.”
Bates III has spent the past 3 seasons in Atlanta after signing a 4-year, $64M deal as a free agent. Bates, 29, has started all 51 possible games the past 3 seasons and has totaled 332 TKLs, 13 INTs, 27 PDs & 8 FFs. He enters the final year of his contract hoping to finish his career with the Falcons. Bates also mentioned the Falcons have not discussed a potential extension with him.