Jaguars To Acquire S Jessie Bates From Falcons

Jessie Bates is on the move. The Jaguars have worked out a trade with the Falcons for the veteran safety, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Jacksonville is sending Atlanta a 2027 second-round pick in addition to a fifth-rounder in 2028. Bates was known to be of interest ahead of the trade deadline, although a deal was not expected barring a major offer. The pending free agent will now join one of the AFC’s top teams, though.

After playing out his rookie contract – and one season on the franchise tag – with the Bengals, Bates joined Atlanta in free agency. The Wake Forest product landed a four-year deal averaging just over $16MM per season. That pact is set to void shortly after the current campaign ends, and it includes a 2026 base salary of $13.02MM. To help facilitate the trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Atlanta is retaining most of the remainder of that figure.

Serving as a full-time starter throughout his Falcons tenure, Bates racked up 14 interceptions and 31 pass deflections on his second career team. If the 29-year-old continues to serve as an impactful member of the secondary in Jacksonville, this acquisition will prove to be worthwhile. Bates will offer a boost to the Jaguars’ secondary, a unit which recently lost Eric Murray to a season-ending elbow injury. That led to interest in a safety addition on the part of the Jags.

Like the rest of the NFC South, Atlanta entered Week 9 with a sub-.500 record. The team’s loss to the Bengals in Madrid has Atlanta sitting at 3-6 on the year. No additions are expected on the trade front, and it had been known general manager Ian Cunningham and Co. were interested in adding draft capital. That goal has been achieved with a notable price being paid for a rental.

2025 third-rounder Xavier Watts will continue to operate as a Falcons safety starter moving forward. Bates’ departure could result in a defensive role for Billy Bowman, who was added in the fourth round of last year’s draft. Atlanta’s secondary will be notably less expensive without Bates in the fold, but it will be interesting to see how large of an impact he can make upon arriving in Jacksonville.

Antonio Johnson has served as a full-time starter for the Jags in 2026. His rookie contract will expire at the end of the season, so a Bates re-signing could provide insurance against Johnson departing on the open market this spring. Jaguars GM James Gladstone swung a midseason trade for receiver Jakobi Meyers last year and wound up retaining him on a multi-year contract. Doing the same in Bates’ case would give Jacksonville’s defense – already one of the better units in the league – an upgrade for years to come. The team currently ranks 15th against the pass, but improvement could take place over the coming weeks.

A defensive tackle addition is known to be one of Gladstone’s targets ahead of tomorrow’s deadline. Regardless of whether or not something can worked out on that front, he has managed to work out another in-season deal as the 6-2 Jaguars prepare for a playoff run.