Jaguars Trade for Falcons Safety Jessie Bates III, Then Add Saints DT Davon Godchaux

By The Arena Staff

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 9, 2026 — Jessie Bates III broke the news himself. "WOKE UP A JAGUAR!" the safety posted on X on Monday morning, before Jacksonville had even announced the deal.

The Jaguars made it official a few hours later, acquiring Bates from the Atlanta Falcons for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, one day before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline. Atlanta restructured Bates' contract before the trade went through, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Falcons are paying most of his salary.

Jacksonville wasn't finished. Later Monday the Jaguars also picked up defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from the New Orleans Saints for a conditional 2028 sixth-round pick, according to NFL.com.

Both moves fill holes. The Jaguars recently lost starting safety Eric Murray and defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton for the season, and both are now on injured reserve.

"The opportunity to get arguably a Top 5 player at his position to continue to help us evolve and ascend was the whole point of it all," coach Liam Coen said.

Bates, 29, has started all 139 games of his career, first with Cincinnati and then with Atlanta. He has 28 career interceptions and 14 forced fumbles, and the team says he leads all NFL safeties in passes defensed and forced fumbles since he entered the league in 2018. He was a Pro Bowler after the 2023 season and has been a second-team All-Pro three times.

He is still producing. Through nine games this season Bates has an interception, three forced fumbles, a fumble-return touchdown and 60 tackles, according to NFL.com, and he made a career-high 14 tackles in Sunday's 34-17 loss to the Bengals in Madrid.

"Jessie has been a proven playmaker on the defensive side of the ball for the last 8+ seasons," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said. "His skillset complements our style of play and the person he is aligns with our culture."

The fit makes sense on paper. Jacksonville is 6-2 and leads the AFC South by three and a half games after a 33-10 win at Baltimore on Thursday night. NFL.com notes the Jaguars rank in the top five against the run but 22nd against the pass, which is exactly where a ball-hawking safety helps.

For Atlanta, it is a bet on the future. Bates and Godchaux are both in the final year of their contracts, so the Falcons turned a pending free agent into a Day 2 pick. Atlanta now has four picks in the top 100 of next year's draft and the most salary-cap space in the league, according to NFL.com.

The Jaguars play next on Sunday at Tennessee. Watch Coen talk about the trade on the Jaguars' official X account.