The Atlanta Falcons may not be particularly active at the NFL trade deadline, but there’s one player whose name keeps coming up.
This particular player has been linked to the Buffalo Bills repeatedly, as well.
The Falcons will still hope to contend for the NFC South Division title, but it’s also important to be realistic, and dealing away one player probably doesn’t change things considerably.
If it can bring back future value for Atlanta, that’s not a bad thing. They’re going to have this core together for a while.
So ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, keep an eye on the name Jessie Bates. He might just end up being on the move.
ESPN Predicts Falcons Jessie Bates Trade With Bills
The Bills need a safety, and the Falcons have a good one in Bates.
ESPN’s Seth Walder predicted in a new article on Saturday morning that the Falcons could get a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick from Buffalo for Bates.
This is what Walder wrote about why the trade would make sense for both sides:
The release of C.J. Gardner-Johnson means there is a perfect opening for Bates — one of the game’s best safeties — in Buffalo’s secondary. But the sneaky reason why this could happen? The Falcons have over $109 million of 2027 cap space (most in the NFL), per OverTheCap.com. So they’re almost guaranteed to be active in free agency, which in turn means there’s a chance they wouldn’t get a compensatory pick for Bates (because signings cancel out departures when compensatory picks are distributed). If the Falcons keep Bates through the deadline, the risk they lose him for nothing is high.
Buffalo is in the opposite cap situation, so this would be like a short-term signing. But Bates probably would net them something like a fourth-round compensatory pick in 2028 if he signed elsewhere next offseason, significantly softening how much draft capital Buffalo is giving up in this scenario.
There’s definitely some inside-football stuff there, but it’s clear that the Falcons could benefit from moving off Bates at this point in time, because they’d get solid draft pick capital in return.
What About This Season?
Trading away Bates would feel like a negative for this season, but Atlanta has some young playmakers on defense who are trying to make that unit work.
And the Falcons are 3-5 heading into Week 9. It’s not a given they can make any noise even if they win their weak division.
So striking a balance is good. Atlanta won’t be sellers, but if the right offer presents itself for Bates, it’s worth considering for sure.
ESPN Predicts Falcons Trade With Bills