A second-round price for a safety on an expiring deal
Jacksonville did not wait long to answer its injury problem in the secondary. The Jaguars are acquiring Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons, according to multiple reports this morning. The price is a second-round pick in the 2027 draft and a fifth-rounder in 2028.
The need is obvious. Eric Murray is done for the season with an elbow injury, and the Jaguars have been short at safety since. Bates steps into that hole as a nine-game starter with plenty of tape to go on this year.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
What Jacksonville is getting
Bates is 29 and has 60 tackles, three forced fumbles and an interception through nine starts this season. One of those forced fumbles went back for a touchdown. Atlanta signed him in 2023, and he made the Pro Bowl that same year. He has started every one of the 60 games he was eligible for with the Falcons, picking up 14 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles along the way.
Across his career with the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta, he has 871 tackles, 28 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 139 games, all of them starts.
The contract question
This is the last year of a four-year contract. Bates becomes an unrestricted free agent in March unless Jacksonville offers an extension, so the Jaguars are paying a second-round pick for what could be a half-season rental with an option to keep him. That is a real price for a rental, and the front office clearly decided the defense could not wait.
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