JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars bolstered their secondary one day before the NFL trade deadline, acquiring veteran safety Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Jacksonville traded a 2027 second-round draft pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to Atlanta in the deal, sources told Schefter.
Bates, who is in the final year of a four-year, $64 million contract, will replace injured starter Eric Murray, who will miss the remainder of the season because of an elbow injury. Murray was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 3.
Bates, 29, has played parts of nine seasons with the Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals. He was a Pro Bowler in his first season with the Falcons in 2023.
The Jaguars (6-2) have a three-game lead in the AFC South and play at the Tennessee Titans (1-7) on Sunday.
The Jaguars rank fifth in the NFL in rush defense (89.3 yards per game) — they were first until giving up 172 yards to Baltimore on Thursday night — but rank 22nd in pass defense (229 yards per game). They lead the league in turnover ratio (plus-9) and rank third in interceptions (11).
Bates has 28 career interceptions and has had at least one in every season of his career.
The Falcons fell to 3-6 after a 34-17 loss to the Bengals on Sunday in Madrid. Atlanta is just one game out of first place in the NFC South, but Bates is going to be a free agent this offseason, and the organization, which is in a transition phase, was unlikely to re-sign him.
New Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham has been clear about wanting to build the franchise through the draft. Atlanta had just five draft picks in 2026, which Cunningham vowed would never happen again.
This is also the first season for president of football Matt Ryan and coach Kevin Stefanski. The Falcons aren’t necessarily rebuilding, but they are looking ahead to a future in which they will have the most salary cap space in the NFL this coming offseason (more than $142 million, according to Spotrac).
That flexibility combined with more draft capital gives this new regime a chance to build the roster the way they would like around running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, all of whom are signed long term. The Falcons also have second-year safety Xavier Watts, who will slide into Bates’ role, along with other young defensive backs such as Billy Bowman Jr. and Avieon Terrell.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi contributed to this report.
