On Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers continued to reunite defensive coordinator Raheem Morris with some of his former players, signing defensive lineman Ogbo Okoronkwo and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge.
Both veterans are coming into position groups in need of depth after the injury bug has hit the 49ers once again during training camp. Morris now has a couple of familiar faces on defense, and ESPN’s latest trade proposal has him reuniting with another.
ESPN’s Seth Walder conjured up five training camp
trades that ‘make too much sense’, which include the 49ers trading a 2027 third-round pick for Atlanta Falcons star safety Jessie Bates and a 2028 sixth-round pick.
Bates, 29, would provide an immediate upgrade at safety for the 49ers, who have struggled at the position in recent years with their young players being inconsistent.
“The Falcons’ 2023 signing of Bates was an example of free agency gone right,” Walder wrote. “The Falcons paid sticker price — four years and $64 million — to sign Bates, who was very effective in Cincinnati and continued that quality play in Atlanta. That was particularly true in 2023, when Bates delivered six interceptions and three forced fumbles while earning second-team All-Pro honors.
“He was good again in 2024, but he wasn’t quite on the same level last season. Still, the 29-year-old Bates remains one of the best safeties in the league. (He ranked fifth in this year’s survey of coaches and executives conducted by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler).”
For the Falcons, the move makes sense in a salary-shedding sense to push their chips towards the 2028 season and focus more on their younger players.
“If the Falcons were expected to contend, it would make sense to keep Bates and see the original contract through,” Walder continued. “But they aren’t, and with a ton of 2027 cap space even after the Bijan Robinson extension, the Falcons will likely be spenders next offseason. They would risk losing Bates without getting a compensatory pick in return if he walks in free agency. So it’s better for Atlanta to deal him now. And while that would mean finding a replacement for Bates, the Falcons wouldn’t be lacking in safety talent thanks to emerging second-year player Xavier Watts.
“It just so happens that former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who coached Bates the past two seasons, is now the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. And he could use an upgrade at safety alongside Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha. The timing works, as the 49ers are contenders who could use defensive help after ranking 25th in EPA allowed per dropback last season.
“San Francisco would be giving up real draft capital for a short-term player, but that’s an indicator of Bates’ skill and the fact that his contract would cost the 49ers only $13 million in 2026 — a below-market price to sign a player of his caliber.”
This is the type of move we’ve seen happen at the deadline in years past, and the 49ers also haven’t invested much in the safety position. But the fit does make a lot of sense, given that Bates is still 29 and very familiar with Raheem Morris’s defense.
San Francisco also still has plenty of cap space, and Bates is on the final year of his deal, set to make just over $13 million a year. If there’s a time to push the chips in, it would be now. But with the NFC South wide open in Kevin Stefanski’s first year at the helm, I’m not sure that Atlanta would trade Bates until the midseason mark.
