3 hypothetical trade packages the NY Jets can offer for Jessie Bates

The NY Jets likely aren't going to trade for Jessie Bates. Before we get any further in this article, that much should be made clear.

Bates is undoubtedly a very good player who would serve as a significant upgrade for the Jets, but it's hard to imagine general manager Joe Douglas parting ways with assets for a player at a non-premium position demanding a big payday.

If Douglas wasn't willing to pay Marcus Williams $14 million per year in free agency, why would he want to trade assets away for an arguably worse safety asking for the same (if not more) money?

The short answer is that he wouldn't. The following are purely hypothetical scenarios. Perhaps Douglas has a change of heart and sees the need for a major upgrade at free safety. Perhaps Bates lowers his asking price but still wants out of Cincinnati.

Neither is a likely scenario, but the NFL is an ever-changing landscape where unpredictable things happen all the time. In short, you never know what could happen.

The Jets absolutely could use a player like Bates in their secondary. While the additions of Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Jordan Whitehead should help improve a defensive backfield that struggled mightily in 2021, the Jets are still looking for a true center-field free safety.

Bates would provide them with just that. But what might it cost to land Bates in a trade? We took a look at three hypothetical trade packages for the Bengals' star safety.

1. NY Jets trade a second-round pick for Jessie Bates

This is the most straightforward proposal in this article, and it's one that the Jets could actually consider, depending on Bates' asking price on an extension.

While Bengals fans would love to recoup a first-round pick for Bates, it just isn't realistic at this stage. The 25-year-old is coming off a down year and his trade value is tied to an extension that he'll have to sign with his new team.

They just aren't going to get a first-round pick for him if he's traded, barring any type of Jamal Adams-like fleece. A second-round pick is probably about as good as they're going to do.

The question then for Bengals owner/general manager Mike Brown becomes, is it even worth it to trade Bates? It's highly likely that Brown would balk at this type of trade offer, which is why it remains very improbable that Bates is actually moved this summer.

The Bengals may have a young roster, but they're very much in win-now mode after making it all the way to the Super Bowl last season. Trading away one of the team's best players for a future asset isn't really what Brown is looking to do.

For the Jets, however, it's fun to imagine what the team's secondary could look like with Bates in the fold. A second-round pick is nothing to scoff at, but it might just be worth it to add a true star to their defense.

2. NY Jets trade a third and a fourth-round pick for Jessie Bates

If the Jets didn't want to part ways with a second-round pick that could realistically still be very high on Day 2 come next year's draft, they could look to package a couple of picks in a hypothetical trade.

This proposal is likely the most Jets-friendly on this list as the team doesn't have to send a top-64 pick to Cincinnati for a guy who instantly becomes arguably the best player on their roster.

It's impossible to say just how valuable this proposal is without knowing where the picks fall in each round, but if we assume the Jets pick in the top-10 of the second and third rounds, we can equate this package to the value of roughly a mid-second-round pick.

That's not bad value at all for Bates, at least from the Jets' perspective. For the Bengals, trading away their star safety without landing a draft pick in either the first or second round would feel like a massive loss for the franchise.

The issue here, aside from his pending contract situation, is that Bates has been rather inconsistent throughout his career. He was very good as a rookie, took a major step back in 2019, was arguably the best safety in football in 2020, and once again fell off a little this past season.

He's still only 25 years old and has proven that, at his best, he could be an elite cover free safety in this league, but his inconsistency is what's holding him back from that top tier.

The Jets know this and so too do other potential suitors. If the Bengals do actually trade Bates (which remains unlikely, of course), don't expect the return to be massive.

3. NY Jets send Bryce Hall to the Bengals for Jessie Bates

Let's have some fun, shall we? Player-for-player trades are a rarity in the NFL, but they do still occur. The Jets happen to have an abundance of cornerback depth and they could use that to their advantage this summer.

This scenario sees the Jets send a third-round pick and Bryce Hall to the Bengals for Jessie Bates, along with a swap of Day 3 picks. I'd argue this is the best deal for the Bengals on this list.

Yes, they don't land a second-round pick, but they do get a player in Hall who has the potential to be a long-term cornerstone of their defense.

The Bengals' secondary overachieved in 2021 with cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Eli Apple putting together career years. The law of averages would say the unit's bound to regress this season, however.

Cincinnati did go out and draft Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt in the second round, but Awuzie is entering the last year of his contract next season. The Bengals could use another young, affordable piece in their cornerback room.

Hall has proven that he can be a starting-caliber cornerback in this league, but he's buried on the depth chart in New York behind Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed. He'd be given the opportunity to push Apple for a starting job in Cincinnati.

His value is likely slightly less than a fourth-round pick which is why the Jets send one of their two sixth-round picks in 2023 to the Bengals in exchange for a seventh-rounder.

If the Bengals are going to trade Jessie Bates, this package makes plenty of sense for them as it gives them an asset that could help them win both in 2022 and the future.