Bengals players lobby for Jessie Bates extension, Quinton Spain return

Current Cincinnati Bengals players have been outspoken in their desire to see star safety Jessie Bates get an extension this summer.

They’ve also been pretty active in trying to recruit outside free agents.

Take cornerback Mike Hilton, for example. He recently publicly advocated for the Bengals to go get free-agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore. That may or may not happen based on what Gilmore wants and how much more money the Bengals want to spend, but it’s not the first time Hilton has used social media to recruit.

And now Hilton has used that social media presence to ask for the Bates extension again:

Already been a crazy NFL off-season!! Let’s add to it @Bengals …… EXTEND @jlbiii3 pic.twitter.com/fen94UJt5r

— Mike Hilton (@MikeHilton_28) March 23, 2022

And then there is newly-extended defensive tackle B.J. Hill using his platform to say the Bengals need to get veteran guard Quinton Spain back on the roster:

Need to resign my brotha @quinton_spain https://t.co/x70KZPJAik

— BJ Hill (@BJHill5) March 25, 2022

Spain is a question mark as far as a return goes because he was at one of the four spots the team needed to upgrade this offseason. They’ve upgraded the other three and — so far — signaled that second-round product Jackson Carman will get a chance to earn the starting gig in camp.

No matter how it plays out, it’s always interesting to see current players hit the recruiting trail when it comes to team moves.