Age: 28
Free Agency: 2028 (UFA)
Accrued Seasons: 4
- Height: 6'6"
- Weight: 256
- College: Boise State
- Entry: 2021 Draft, Round 4, #124 overall (Commanders)
- 2025 Salary Cap Charge: $4,333,333 (1.45% of cap)
- 2025 Cash Payout: $9,000,000 (3.24% of spending)
- 2025 Cash to Cap Ratio: 2.08
- Contract Value: $21,000,000 ($7,000,000 APY)
- Fully Guaranteed Money: $11,520,000
- Contract Ranking: 22/148 at TE
Current Contract
(UFA, signed 2025)
(📝: indicates contract trigger occuring during that year)| Year | Age | Base Salary | Prorated Signing Bonus | Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Dead Money & Cap Savings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | Per Game | |||||||||||||
| 2025 | 28 | $1,510,000 | $2,333,333 | $0 | $340,000 | $150,000 | $1,510,000 | $4,333,333 | 1.5% | |||||
| 2026 | 29 | $3,010,000 | $2,333,333 | $0 | $340,000 | $150,000 | $3,010,000 | $5,833,333 | 2.0% | |||||
| 2027
April 1: Roster bonus due
| 30 | $7,260,000 | $2,333,334 | $750,000 | $340,000 | $150,000 | $0 | $10,833,334 | 3.5% | |||||
| Total | $11,780,000 | $7,000,000 | $750,000 | $1,020,000 | $450,000 | $4,520,000 | $21,000,000 | |||||||
Contract Notes
John Bates signed a three year, $21 million contract with the Commanders. $11.52 million is fully guaranteed including a $7 million signing bonus.
Cash Flows
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash Due | $9,000,000 | $3,500,000 | $8,500,000 |
| Running Cash | $9,000,000 | $12,500,000 | $21,000,000 |
Career Earnings: $13,263,416
Career APY: $3,315,854
Contract History
| Team | Contract Type | Status | Year Signed | Yrs | Total | APY | Guarantees | Amount Earned | % Earned | Effective APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | Drafted | Expired | 2021 | 4 | $4,202,416 | $1,050,604 | $722,416 | $6,263,416 | 149.0% | $1,565,854 |
| Commanders | UFA | Active | 2025 | 3 | $21,000,000 | $7,000,000 | $11,520,000 | $7,000,000 | 33.3% | $0 |
Earnings By Team
| Team | Yrs | Salary | APY | Paid on Cap | % Paid on Cap | Paid as Dead Money | % Paid as Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commanders | 4 | $13,263,416 | $3,315,854 | $6,263,416 | 0.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
Season History
| Year | Team | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Roster Bonus | Per Game Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Cash Paid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Washington | $660,000 | $180,604 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $840,604 | 0.4% | $1,382,416 | ||
| 2022 | Commanders | $825,000 | $180,604 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,005,604 | 0.5% | $825,000 | ||
| 2023 | Commanders | $940,000 | $180,604 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,120,604 | 0.5% | $940,000 | ||
| 2024 | Commanders | $3,116,000 | $180,604 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $3,296,604 | 1.2% | $3,116,000 | ||
| 2025 | Commanders | $1,510,000 | $2,333,333 | $0 | $340,000 | $150,000 | $1,510,000 | $4,333,333 | 1.5% | $9,000,000 | ||
| 2026 | Commanders | $3,010,000 | $2,333,333 | $0 | $340,000 | $150,000 | $3,010,000 | $5,833,333 | 2.0% | $3,500,000 | ||
| 2027 | Commanders | $7,260,000 | $2,333,334 | $750,000 | $340,000 | $150,000 | $0 | $10,833,334 | 3.5% | $8,500,000 | ||
| Total | $17,321,000 | $7,722,416 | $750,000 | $1,020,000 | $450,000 | $4,520,000 | $27,263,416 | $27,263,416 | ||||
Statistics
| Year | Games Played | Games Inactive | Snaps | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injured | Healthy | Offense | Special | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Total | Lost | ||
| 2021 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 46.1% | 30.6% | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 20 | 249 | 12.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 42.9% | 14.1% | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 14 | 108 | 7.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 44.6% | 36.4% | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 19 | 151 | 7.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 44.4% | 48.1% | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 8 | 84 | 10.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Valuation Diamond
The diamond is a scatterplot graph that visualizes the relation of the player's APY (in green) and performance (in blue, as measured by OTC's Valuations) to the rest of the league at his position. To understand how to read the diamond, read this explainer.
| OTC Valuation | APY | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $2,085,000 | $7,000,000 |
| Injury Adjusted | $2,085,000 | $7,000,000 |
Weekly Valuation Trends
The chart below illustrates the trend of the player's weekly OTC Valuations (in blue) from the most recent season, using APY (in green) and, if applicable, cash that is due to the player in the next season (in red) as benchmarks. Weeks not plotted indicate that the player was inactive or on a bye.
To see interactive and more in-depth use of OTC Valuation data, subscribe to OTC Premium.