Jacksonville Jaguars Agree To Acquire Safety Jessie Bates III From Atlanta Falcons
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A day before the NFL trade deadline, the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to acquire safety Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons. Jacksonville is sending Atlanta a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported early Monday.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Atlanta is paying most of Bates’ $6.5 million salary as part of the deal. Teams have until 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday to complete trades.
Bates posted twice on X within 40 minutes of Schefter’s report. The first read “ATL Forever Grateful!” with a black heart and a #JustBelieve hashtag. The second read “WOKE UP A JAGUAR!” with a #DUUUVAL hashtag.
Jessie Bates III Played His Final Atlanta Falcons Game In Madrid
In what became his last game for Atlanta, Bates made a team-high 14 tackles in Sunday’s 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. Atlanta dropped to 3-6 with its second straight loss.
Cincinnati led 24-10 at halftime after scoring touchdowns on both of its first-half trips inside the red zone. “I’ve talked about this plenty of times, but we gotta force field goals,” Bates said.
Bates, 29, has 60 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 interception in nine starts this season. His 36-yard fumble return this season went for a touchdown.
Before the Madrid trip, Bates had forced a fumble in three straight games. No Falcons player had done that since linebacker Jessie Tuggle in 1990. Bates’ 14 career forced fumbles are the most among active NFL safeties.
The Bengals picked Bates in the second round of the 2018 draft. He left Cincinnati after five seasons and signed a four-year, $64.02 million contract with Atlanta in March 2023. Bates is playing the final season of that deal and is scheduled to reach unrestricted free agency in March.
Bates has 14 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles with the Falcons, and he took 3 of those interceptions to the end zone. In 2023, his first year in Atlanta, he made the Pro Bowl and was named a second-team All-Pro. He earned the same All-Pro honor with Cincinnati in 2020 and again last season. Bates has 28 interceptions in nine NFL seasons.
Nobody in Falcons leadership had approached Bates about an extension when he spoke to reporters in April, a day after players reported for voluntary workouts. His approach would stay the same with one year left on his contract or two, Bates said. “Things can change. People can get traded, get cut,” Bates said.
His family loves Atlanta, where he has a house. “I want to retire as a Falcon,” Bates added.
Jacksonville Jaguars Lost Eric Murray For The Season In Week 8
Jacksonville lost safety Eric Murray to a season-ending elbow injury during its 42-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 1. Four days later, the Jaguars beat the Baltimore Ravens 33-10 in Baltimore for their fifth win in six games.
At 6-2, the Jaguars lead the AFC South. Jacksonville had its bye in Week 7 and has nine games left. Atlanta’s bye does not come until Week 11. If Bates plays in each of Jacksonville’s remaining games, he will have played 18 regular-season games.
Jacksonville plays the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Sunday. That game kicks off at noon CT on FOX, the same time Atlanta hosts the Kansas City Chiefs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on CBS.
