The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired an opening salvo on the NFL trade market. Jessie Bates is coming to the Jaguars, and they might not be done.
Bates is a talented safety who has played for the Atlanta Falcons since 2023, but his last game with the Falcons officially came Sunday in Madrid, Spain — a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Bates now comes to the contending Jags and has a chance to be hugely impactful on what happens in the stretch run and into the playoffs.
Getting Bates as a standalone move is a big win for the Jaguars, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting the trade before 8 a.m. ET on Monday:
The cost, which is higher than ESPN recently predicted Bates would get, shows that the Jaguars aren’t messing around.
And it makes you wonder — what comes next? The Jaguars have been heavily connected to a need for defensive tackle help, and they’ve also still got all the Brian Thomas Jr. trade rumors swirling.
What Jessie Bates Trade Means for DT Move
The trade for Bates could signal in both directions as it pertains to a trade for a defensive tackle.
On the one hand, the Jaguars just gave up two draft picks to get Bates. That’s two fewer picks they have to give up in a trade for a defensive tackle — like Philadelphia’s Moro Ojomo or Miami’s Zach Sieler.
On the other hand, the Jaguars went for this deal with nearly 36 hours left until the Tuesday 4 p.m. trade deadline — it appears they’re ready to make moves.
It would be a bit surprising for Jacksonville to make this trade but then not pull off anything else before the deadline. An interior defensive lineman could still be coming to town, too.
What Jessie Bates Trade Means for Brian Thomas Jr.
The Bates trade wouldn’t have to impact the Jags’ plans to trade (or not trade) Brian Thomas Jr.
But there’s one element that’s worth noting — the Jaguars could probably get a similar package back for BTJ that they gave up for Bates, maybe a bit less but something at least in the general vicinity.
If the Jaguars want to replenish their draft capital right away after giving some up to get Bates, trading away Thomas would be the fastest way to do it. And if they did that, it would almost be like trading Thomas for Bates, just with a middleman.
What Jaguars’ Jessie Bates Trade Means for DT Move, Brian Thomas Jr.