Jessie Bates III is set to join a 6-2 team that sits first in the AFC South. The Jacksonville Jaguars acquired the veteran safety from the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, one day before the NFL trade deadline, for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, pending a physical. Atlanta restructured Bates’ contract as part of the deal.

The Falcons are 3-6 this season after Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid. Bates has been named a second-team AP All-Pro three times, in 2020 with Cincinnati and in 2023 and 2025 with Atlanta.

Why Dan Orlovsky Ties Jessie Bates III to Linebacker Fred Warner

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky reached across position groups for his comparison to a player one level closer to the line of scrimmage.

“I don’t think the football world or maybe the casual fan knows how good Jessie Bates is because he’s been in Atlanta and they haven’t won over the past couple of years,” Orlovsky said.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner is the template he chose for Bates: “The way that I talk about him is like he’s the secondary version of Fred Warner.”

What links the two is what they do to an offense. “Like everyone goes, ‘Oh my gosh, Fred Warner,'” Orlovsky said, pointing to the linebacker’s knack to “create havoc and punch the ball away.” The verdict on Bates followed: “Jessie Bates is the same type of player.”

Bates has forced three fumbles through Week 9 of this season, and PFN’s Impact Grade has him at 81.3 over that span, 17th of 92 graded safeties. Pro Football Network’s NFL Safety Impact Grade had him at 83.9 for the full 2025 season, ranked fifth at his position.

His 14 forced fumbles and 74 passes defensed since entering the league in 2018 are both the most among safeties over that stretch, according to the Jaguars. The team also credits him with four fumble recoveries and 12 tackles for loss over his career.

Bates’ 28 career interceptions include a career-high six in 2023, his first season in Atlanta, when he also made the Pro Bowl. That total is tied for second among safeties since 2018, and his four interception returns for touchdowns are tied for the most, by the team’s count.

Not every recent number fits that picture so neatly, though. Bates has one interception and four passes defensed through Week 9 of this season, with the interception total tied for 35th in the NFL.

Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone Explains the Bates Trade

The Jaguars announced the deal late Monday morning and framed it in terms of Bates’ track record. “Jessie has been a proven playmaker on the defensive side of the ball for the last 8+ seasons,” general manager James Gladstone said in a statement.

Gladstone’s case went beyond production to fit and character: “His skill set complements our style of play, and the person he is aligns with our culture. We look forward to integrating Jessie into our team as we prepare for the back half of the season.”

Bates, 29, is in his ninth NFL season, after five with the Bengals and parts of four with the Falcons, and has started all 139 games he has played since Cincinnati drafted him in the second round, 54th overall, in 2018.

His 869 tackles over that span rank second among safeties, according to the team. Pending the physical, Jacksonville would have him for its final nine regular-season games.