Jaguars acquire All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III from Falcons ahead of NFL trade deadline

Bates, who is in the final year of his contract, heads to Jacksonville in exchange for two future draft picks

Nov 9, 2026 at 8:21 am ET • 1 min read

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. 

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.