The Jacksonville Jaguars acquired veteran safety Jessie Bates III in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday.
Jacksonville sent a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to Atlanta for the 29-year-old defensive back, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Bates is in the final year of a four-year contract.
The contract is worth $64 million.
He originally signed it with the Falcons in the spring of 2023.
He spent his first five seasons in the league with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jessie Bates is in the final year of his contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March. Atlanta extended Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Matthew Bergeron this offseason, but not Bates. Now, he’s been traded. https://t.co/xKhiIbKhbX
Atlanta will cover most of his remaining salary to facilitate the transaction, according to ProFootballTalk.
Bates entered the professional ranks as a second-round draft choice out of Wake Forest in 2018.
Trade: Falcons are sending former Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2027 2nd-round pick and a 2028 5th-round pick, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/zsvYXRXj0P
He has earned Pro Bowl recognition.
He has earned three second-team All-Pro honors.
He has tallied 28 interceptions and 14 forced fumbles across nine seasons.
Bates confirmed the move on his X account, writing WOKE UP A JAGUAR!
alongside ATL Forever Grateful!
as reported by The Associated Press, according to WRAL.
The Jaguars (6-2) added Bates to replace starting safety Eric Murray.
Murray was placed on injured reserve on November 3 due to a season-ending elbow injury.
Antonio Johnson is also dealing with injuries.
Jacksonville holds a three-game lead in the AFC South and will play at the Tennessee Titans (1-7) on Sunday.
The Jaguars rank fifth in the NFL in rush defense, allowing 89.3 yards per game after giving up 172 yards to Baltimore on Thursday night.
The Jaguars are trading for Falcons safety Jessie Bates per source. Jacksonville has been aggressive to make a move on the defensive front, but were also looking at safety after losing Eric Murray. They find a former All-Pro and Pro Bowler in Bates
They rank 22nd in pass defense by giving up 229 yards per game.
They lead the league in turnover ratio at plus-9 and rank third with 11 interceptions.
What they’ve done is added an All-Pro player to an already championship caliber football team,
Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans coach
The Falcons dropped to 3-6 following a 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in Madrid.
Bates recorded a career-high 14 tackles in Madrid.
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