The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed Monday to acquire safety Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, ESPN reported, one day before the NFL trade deadline.

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.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 9, 2026

Bates joins a Jacksonville safety group depleted by injuries. Eric Murray recently sustained an elbow injury that ended his season, while Caleb Ransaw was sidelined for an undisclosed period earlier this season and Antonio Johnson has dealt with injuries.

Sports Illustrated called Bates one of football's best ballhawks and said his range would fill a gap in the Jaguars' secondary with Ransaw injured.

Jacksonville leads the AFC South after beating the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday to improve to 6-2.

Atlanta is moving in the opposite direction. The Falcons fell to 3-6 after losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid. Following that game, social media users joked that Bates might fly home from Madrid with his former Bengals teammates.

Bates, 29, has spent parts of nine NFL seasons with Cincinnati and Atlanta. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2023, his first year with the Falcons, and has made second-team All-Pro three times, including last season.

Through nine games this season, Bates has recorded 60 tackles, three forced fumbles, an interception and a touchdown on a fumble return. His career totals stand at 871 tackles and 28 interceptions, The Sporting News reported.

The outlet described the price for a player it called a rental as costly, saying Jacksonville is going all in with a real chance to win the Super Bowl.

Bates signed a four-year deal with Atlanta in 2023 and is in its final year. Sports Illustrated said he could reach free agency in March, leaving the Jaguars at risk of losing him after the season unless they re-sign him.

Atlanta will pay a portion of Bates' remaining salary to facilitate the deal, NBC Sports' ProFootballTalk reported, citing other reports. It was not immediately known how much Atlanta would cover.

Jacksonville has another gap to address. Defensive lineman Davon Hamilton suffered a season-ending injury, and the Jaguars had yet to add a defensive tackle when the Bates trade was reported. The deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday.

The Jaguars next face the Tennessee Titans.