With the November 10 trade deadline looming, the Jacksonville Jaguars were reportedly looking for reinforcements at safety and defensive line. They just checked off one of the boxes by trading for Jessie Bates, who'll fortify an already talented secondary.
Given that the Jags acquired Bates just one day before the deadline, they still have plenty of time to also add a defensive tackle. In the meantime, here's a breakdown and a grade of the trade with the Atlanta Falcons to land the Pro Bowl safety.
What did the Jaguars give to the Falcons in return for Jessie Bates?
From the get-go, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Jaguars sent a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder to Atlanta in return for Jessie Bates. Ian Rapoport later added that the Falcons would pay most of his remaining salary of $6.5 million for 2026.
Bates is slated to become a free agent in 2027, so if this turns out to be a one-year rental, Jacksonville gave up two first-round picks for a playmaking safety but won't have to take a big cap hit.
The Falcons seemingly were ready to move on from Bates, with James Palmer of Prime Video stating on Twitter that they liked the veteran safety, but he had lost a step and was entering a contract year.
For their part, the Jaguars needed an enforcer in the back end of the defense. As Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union noted, the Jags gave up nine plays of 20+ passing yards in two losses this season. Bates should help fix that.
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What are the Jaguars getting in Jessie Bates III?
Even after losing Eric Murray for the season, the Jaguars had a solid safety room. Jessie Bates III will take it to the next level. While Rayuan Lane III held the fort the past few games, he'll return to his backup role on defense and will be able to fully focus on contributing on special teams.
On the other hand, Bates gives defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile a movable chess piece that will give him flexibility. Antonio Johnson has routinely lined up close to the line of scrimmage this season, but can line up anywhere in the backfield. With Bates in the mix, Campanile could deploy Johnson in a different role and come up with creative play design for both.
This begs the question, just how good is the trade for Bates? It wasn't precisely cheap, but anytime you get a difference-maker, that's a win. When you take into account that the Falcons will pay most of his salary, the price wasn't as steep as it seemed. Having said that, defensive tackle was a bigger need than safety.
This doesn't mean that the Jaguars are done making deals. Heck, they could be working on a trade for a defensive tackle behind the scenes as we speak, and it's possible that they were able to finalize the deal for Bates first.
Either way, the Jaguars took care of a need and gave a massive boost to their secondary along the way. That's a pretty good deal, even if it was a bit expensive.
Grade: B+
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