Falcons trade veteran safety Jessie Bates III to the Jaguars for two draft picks
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons traded safety Jessie Bates III to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday in exchange for two draft picks.
The Falcons will receive a 2027 second-round draft pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
The 29-year-old Bates had been included in reports as a player who could be moved before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.
Bates confirmed the trade on social media before it was officially announced when he wrote on his X account on Monday “WOKE UP A JAGUAR!" He also wrote “ATL Forever Grateful!”
Bates had a career-high 14 tackles in the Falcons' 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in Madrid. The Falcons (3-6) have lost four of their last five games under first-year coach Kevin Stefanski, leaving them on a path to their ninth consecutive losing season.
Stefanski said the trade doesn't mean the Falcons are giving up on the 2026 season and offered the reminder that every team in the NFC South has only three wins.
“I think our fans are smart enough to know that in no way, shape or form would we punt on this season,” Stefanski said. “We have three wins just like the rest of our division. Obviously not where we want to be. We want to play better but we’re very much in the thick of this thing and we trust in the guys that we have.”
Stefanski said the decision to trade Bates, whose four-year contract expires after the season, was difficult as the team weighed short-term and long-term implications.
“This is football where sometimes you have one foot in the short term one foot in the long term and there’s things like this that you know make your team better in the long term,” Stefanski said. “I know that’s something that we believe in.”
Stefanski said DeMarcco Hellams “is the next man up that we feel really good about” at safety.
Bates has 60 tackles, three forced fumbles, one interception and a 36-yard return for a touchdown on a fumble recovery as a bright spot for the Falcons.
In nine seasons, including five with Cincinnati, Bates has 28 interceptions and 14 forced fumbles.
While the Falcons have struggled, the Jaguars (6-2) are contending for the top playoff spot in the AFC. The Jaguars have won five of their last six games, including a 33-10 victory in Baltimore on Thursday night.
The Jaguars will play at Tennessee on Sunday. Titans coach Robert Saleh said his team's challenge became more difficult following the trade.
“What they’ve done is added an All-Pro player to an already championship caliber football team,” Saleh said. "Last week I made the comment that Cincinnati was the best team we’ve played all year? Well, Jacksonville’s one-upping it. This team has done a great job developing the players on that roster.”
The Jaguars also acquired defensive tackle Davon Godchaux in a trade with the New Orleans Saints, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
In return, the Saints will receive a 2028 sixth-round pick that could be elevated to a 2027 sixth-round pick, the person said.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade has not yet been announced.
The additions of Godchaux and Bates will help the Jaguars fill the voids left by defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton and safety Eric Murray, who were placed on injured reserve on Tuesday.
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AP Sports Writer Mark Long and Associated Press freelance writer Teresa Walker contributed to this report.
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