2 Other Players Falcons May Trade After Jessie Bates

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 14: Christian Harris #45 of the Atlanta Falcons lines up against the Denver Broncos during the first quarter of a NFL preseason game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 14, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Atlanta Bates didn’t wait until the buzzer to trade Jessie Bates.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars came with a good enough offer for Atlanta’s star safety, they made it happen on Monday mornning.

The trade deadline isn’t until Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET, though — so there’s more time for the Falcons to make deals.

And now the question becomes what those deals might look like, if any others materialize.

With the Falcons in the mediocre NFC South Division, you really can’t say they’re out of the playoff picture, even after a loss to the Bengals in Spain on Sunday.

It would also be quite bold for the Falcons to be true buyers, though — and clearly they aren’t, because they traded away a starting safety for two draft picks.

So what are the Falcons going to do before the deadline now that Bates is gone? There are just a couple of other possibilities, at least as far as anyone is talking about.

Other Falcons Trade Candidates After Jessie Bates

Baltimore Ravens v Atlanta Falcons — GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 11: Jessie Bates III #3 of the Atlanta Falcons reacts after running back for a touchdown following a fumble recovery during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 11, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

The Falcons recently had two other players named trade candidates by Sports Illustrated’s national NFL writer Albert Breer.

“The Falcons are still right there in the NFC South race, but I’m told they’d really only consider acquiring picks right now,” Breer wrote before games were played in Week 9. “And veteran LB Christian Harris and nickel Mike Hughes are two guys who would be available for teams with needs at those spots.”

Harris isn’t particularly pivotal to the Falcons the rest of the way because they’ve utilized younger linebackers for most of this season.

Hughes is a proven slot corner who has experience in big games and could be useful to a contending team, too.

Neither will bring back as much in a trade as Bates, but they both seem like logical guys to move if the Falcons want to add even more draft capital.

Falcons Building for 2027, 2028

Atlanta Falcons v New Orleans Saints — GettyNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 05: Bijan Robinson #7 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrates with Olamide Zaccheaus #14 and Drake London #5 after scoring a 59 yard touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the first quarter of the game at Caesars Superdome on October 05, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

The Falcons could still win their division this season. That’s certainly possible.

But with superstars Bijan Robinson and Drake London signed on long-term details, and QB Michael Penix Jr. still on his rookie contract, this isn’t a team that needs to win in 2026.

Trading away non-core pieces to build up the future even more could pay dividends for Atlanta in the long run.