The Falcons are trading S Jessie Bates to the Jaguars for a 2027 second-round pick and a fifth-rounder in 2028. Bates had been in his fourth season with Atlanta after leaving Cincinnati as an unrestricted free agent. He's set to hit free agency again after this season and will turn 30 in February. NFL Network's ian Rapoport reports that Atlanta is paying "most of" Bates' 2026 salary to facilitate the trade.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Jacksonville Strength Gets Stronger
Sending a second-round pick (plus another) for a veteran safety on an expiring contract shows that the Jaguars are chasing a Super Bowl title.
Bates' arrival certainly boosts an area of relative weakness. Jacksonville recently lost S Eric Murray for the season, so Bates figure to take that spot next to Antonio Johnson.
The Jags have played pretty well all around on defense this season, leading the league in expected points added per play against the run and ranking third against the pass. But they also sit just 22nd in net yards allowed per pass attempt.
Expect Bates to help in that area, though I'm not sure we'll have to adjust fantasy expectations for opponent passing games all that much.
Jacksonville already sits as the eighth-worst scoring matchup for QBs by our adjusted fantasy points allowed. It's been the fifth-best matchup for WRs, though.
Perhaps that worsens, but these Jags have been a wall against the run and outscored opponents by 13.5 points per game. So expect plenty of continued passing volume against them, which should continue to help WR scoring.
The Jacksonville DST looks like a strong fantasy play the rest of the way, especially with matchups against the Titans, Giants, and Titans again over the next three weeks.
A Week 13 visit to Chicago looks like the only real danger spot for this team defense.
Falcons Lose Turnover Upside
Bates picked off just one pass this season before leaving Atlanta, but he tallied 13 across his first three years there. The veteran also forced three fumbles this season -- and 3+ in two of his other three Atlanta campaigns -- and returned his only 2026 fumble recovery for a TD.
Don't expect that big-play potential to transfer to anyone else in the Atlanta secondary.
Bates' replacement figure to be Demarcco Hellams. The former seventh-round pick hasn't started a game since 2023 (his rookie campaign) and has exceeded 73.5% snap shares only twice in his career.
We'll see what Hellams brings numbers-wise, but he's not an exciting IDP prospect.
