This morning we woke up to the news that the Atlanta Falcons have traded star safety Jessie Bates III to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In return Atlanta is getting a 2027 second-round draft pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder.
That's a good return for a player Bates' age - and sending him away pads an already significant league lead in salary cap space for the 2027 season.
On the other hand, now the Falcons have to replace their best defensive player - and their secondary is going to be significantly worse until they do so - and likely afterwards, as well.
Before he was dealt to Jacksonville, Bates was asked about Atlanta's season following Sunday's loss in Madrid to the Cincinnati Bengals. Here's what he had to say about the Falcons' outlook for the rest
of 2026, per Josh Kendall at The Athletic.
“You look at our division, we’re still a game and a half or a game behind everyone... This is a long season. We are just halfway through it. We will see what happens.”
Technically Bates is right - it is a long season and the Falcons are far from out of the race in the NFC South.
Then again, if you're reading this you and 24 random names you pick out of the phone book would also have a good chance to win the NFC South, where every single team is at least two games under .500 at the halfway mark.
The Falcons now have four top-100 picks in next year's draft and a boatload of salary cap room - but make no mistake - this team is nowhere near as good as it was yesterday before this move was made.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: What Jessie Bates said about Falcons’ season before trade to Jaguars
