Jaguars Trade for Falcons Safety Jessie Bates III
Jacksonville sends a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth to Atlanta for the veteran ball hawk a day before the trade deadline
The Jaguars made their big move a day before the trade deadline, acquiring safety Jessie Bates III from the Falcons for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday morning.
Trade: Falcons are sending former Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2027 2nd-round pick and a 2028 5th-round pick, sources tell ESPN.View on X →
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter): Trade: Falcons are sending former Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2027 2nd-round pick and a 2028 5th-round pick, sources tell ESPN.
Jacksonville needed help on the back end. Starting safety Eric Murray will miss the rest of the season with an elbow injury and went on injured reserve Nov. 3, and the Jaguars rank 22nd in the league against the pass at 229 yards per game, as ESPN's Michael DiRocco noted. Bates slides right into Murray's spot.
Bates, 29, has been one of the league's most reliable takeaway safeties. He has 28 career interceptions and has picked off at least one pass in every season. Since signing with Atlanta in 2023, he started all 60 possible games and totaled 14 interceptions, 11 forced fumbles and 392 tackles, Schefter noted. This season he has 60 tackles, an interception and three forced fumbles in nine games.
He's also in the final year of his four-year, $64 million contract and set to become a free agent in March. Atlanta extended Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Matthew Bergeron this offseason, but not Bates.
The Falcons fell to 3-6 with Sunday's 34-17 loss to the Bengals in Madrid. They're still only a game out of first in the NFC South, but the new front office under general manager Ian Cunningham is choosing future draft capital over a rental. Second-year safety Xavier Watts should take over Bates' role.
For Jacksonville, it's a push for now. The Jaguars are 6-2 with a three-game lead in the AFC South, and Bates could debut Sunday, Nov. 15, at Tennessee. The deal is the latest on our trade deadline tracker.