After the Sunday slate of Week 9 games, the NFL world woke up to the news that the Jacksonville Jaguars had traded for Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates III. The news wasn't neccessarily surprising when you take into account that general manager James Gladstone isn't afraid to take a wild swing. On top of that, the Jags needed reinforcements at safety after losing Eric Murray to a season-ending injury.
Adam Schefter of ESPN originally reported that Jacksonville gave up a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round selection in exchange for Bates. Now, we also know that the Atlanta Falcons paid most of his salary to get a deal done.
The Falcons will pay most of Jessie Bates' salary after trading him to the Jaguars
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media broke the news that the Falcons will be paying most of Bates' $6.5 million salary for 2026. On top of that, the trade left $13.7 million in dead money this season and will create $7.5 million.
This is welcome news for a Jacksonville team that only had $4.3 million in space before the trade. While the team's brass could rework a few deals to free up space, it's possible that Bates will be earning the league's minimum salary the rest of the year. Either way, cap space wasn't an issue in the trade.
That said, James Gladstone will have to find a way to manoeuvre the cap if he also adds a defensive tackle ahead of the deadline, which is a possibility.
It's also worth noting that Bates is a free agent, so the trade won't have an impact on the Jaguars' cap next year. On the other hand, because they gave up top-market compensation for him, it will be interesting to see what kind of commitment they make to him.
On a related note, Bates acknowledged the trade on Twitter after the news broke. Below is his reaction.
WOKE UP A JAGUAR! #DUUUVAL
— Jessie Bates III (@jlbiii3) November 9, 2026
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Jessie Bates coud make things interesting for the Jaguars at safety
With Jessie Bates in the mix, the Jaguars will have a tough decision next offseason. Eric Murray has a year left on the $18.5 million deal he signed in 2025. Do they cut him to extend Bates? Similarly, Antonio Johnson is in a contract season, and Jacksonville probably won't be able to sign both Johnson and Bates. Who would they choose?
Of course, the team's decision-makers will cross that bridge in due time, but you can bet that they thought about the dynamics of their safety position in 2027 when they traded for Bates. Then again, it's not necessarily a bad problem to have, since Jacksonville will then have three quality safeties.
For the moment, what matters is that the Jaguars just gave their secondary a massive boost with Jessie Bates. He should have an immediate impact, and if he does, the deal will look even better than it already does.
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