On the eve of Tuesday's trade deadline, dominoes are starting to fall across the league with Week 9 largely in the books. And now, the Jaguars have acquired All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, according to ESPN. As Bates heads to Duval County, the Falcons receive a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick in return.
Bates is in the final year of his contract and is set to be a free agent at the end of this season. While this is looked at as a rental, the 29-year-old should prove to be a key addition to Jacksonville's secondary as it looks to make a serious postseason push following a 6-2 start to the regular season.
Jessie Bates III ATL • FS • #3 View Profile In nine games played for the Falcons this season, Bates has recorded one interception, three forced fumbles and 60 total tackles. The veteran has also allowed a 78.3% completion percentage to go with a 115.2 passer rating in coverage, per TruMedia.
Bates entered the NFL as a second-round draft choice of the Bengals in 2018 out of Wake Forest. After spending his first five years of his career in Cincinnati, he inked a four-year, $64.02 million contract with the Falcons in the spring of 2023 and has been lurking in their secondary ever since. Bates is tied for the second-most interceptions (28) in the NFL since coming into the league and has been named a second-team All-Pro three times, including in 2025.
Atlanta spent last offseason inking several veterans to extensions, including Bijan Robinson and Drake London. Bates was not among them, and after dropping to 3-6 on the season with a loss to the Bengals in Madrid on Sunday, they're electing to move off of the talented safety for future draft capital.
