Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton said earlier this offseason that one of the reasons he was excited about the opportunity to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency was for the opportunity to play with the best safety in the NFL in Jessie Bates III (implying, of course, that his former teammate, Minkah Fitzpatrick, is not the best).
Though Hilton signed a four-year deal with the Bengals, one now has to wonder how long he will get to play with Bates, as the fourth-year safety now appears resigned to the idea that he and the team will not work out a long-term contract extension before the start of the regular season, and he is due to be an unrestricted free agent.