The Buffalo Bills can score with anybody, but their defense has been somewhat of a liability this season.

Buffalo ranks 30th against the pass (254.7 yards per game) and 23rd in scoring defense heading into Monday night’s showdown with the 6-1 Minnesota Vikings. And the secondary has been arguably the Bills’ biggest problem, which is why their name kept popping up in Jessie Bates trade rumors.

However, Buffalo will now have to shift its attention elsewhere.

The Atlanta Falcons traded the three-time All-Pro safety to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday morning in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Jaguars Beat Bills to Jessie Bates Trade

Bates had been tabbed as a fit for the Bills by several prominent analysts leading up to Tuesday’s trade deadline.

ESPN’s Seth Walder proposed sending a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 sixth-rounder to Atlanta for Bates. CBS Sports’ JP Acosta named Bates as Buffalo’s “pipe dream” target. And PFF’s Gordon McGuinness pitched using a second-round pick to pry the safety out of Atlanta.

It’s easy to understand why he was so coveted too.

The Bills released veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson on Nov. 3, one day after he served a one-game suspension for spitting toward Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.

NFL Networks’ Cameron Wolfe reported the release had more to do with Gardner-Johnson’s inconsistent play than the spitting incident, and Damar Hamlin has stepped in next to Cole Bishop since.

But that doesn’t hide the fact that Buffalo has also allowed 15 passing touchdowns through seven games.

The 29-year-old Bates would’ve gone a long way toward fixing that. He has 46 tackles, an interception, and three forced fumbles through eight games, and he’s in the final season of the four-year, $64 million contract he signed with Atlanta in 2023.

The Falcons also reportedly agreed to cover most of Bates’ remaining $6.5 million salary — a key detail for a Bills team with roughly $4 million in cap space.

Instead, Bates lands with a Jaguars team that leads the AFC South by three games and could be standing between Buffalo and the No. 1 seed. Jacksonville needed help after starting safety Eric Murray was lost for the season (elbow).

Bills’ Search for Secondary Help Isn’t Over

Missing out on Bates hasn’t stopped the Bills from working the phones.

“Jaguars swung big at safety but aren’t only ones in that market,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler posted on X. “Bills have scanned the safety pool of late.”

The biggest name still out there is Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker, who Fowler reported would welcome the chance to join a contender before the deadline. The 30-year-old has made seven straight Pro Bowls and has three All-Pro selections on his résumé.

However, teams have gotten the sense the Cardinals aren’t eager to move Baker, a franchise lifer who’s signed through 2027.

Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker is also generating interest. The 28-year-old is younger than both Bates and Baker and is signed through next season. But the Titans have reportedly been inclined to stand pat outside of a Calvin Ridley deal.

Either way, the price just went up. Atlanta got a second-round pick for what amounts to a half-season rental. Baker has another year left on his deal, so the 3-6 Cardinals likely won’t settle for less for the seven-time Pro Bowler.