Bengals’ Madrid win over Falcons sparks Jessie Bates III trade to AFC contender, and the price tag tells the whole story
The Atlanta Falcons are trading safety Jessie Bates III after falling to 3-6 against the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, but Bates isn’t come back to the Queen City, and his new team paid a steep price to get him.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid did push Atlanta to trade safety Jessie Bates III to an AFC contender. It just wasn’t his former team.
Bates is headed to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville is sending a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to the Falcons for the former Bengals safety.
Cincinnati had its chance to get Bates back, even with the 3-6 Falcons still in play to win the horrid NFC South. The Jags’ final offer, however, says everything as to why the Bengals sat this one out.
The price for Jessie Bates III only works with long-term plan
Look at what the Jaguars gave up to get Bates, and it’s clear they did not care too much about the cost. A second-round pick is a premium asset, and Jacksonville tacked on a future fifth-rounder to finish the deal. Atlanta netted out the equivalent of a third-round pick according to the A to Z Sports Trade Simulator.
That package only makes sense to me if the plan is to keep Bates beyond this season. Either the Jaguars extend him during the year, or they re-sign him next offseason. Whichever route they take, it has to be a priority. Otherwise, Jacksonville is paying a second-round pick for a half-season rental.
I was never under the impression Cincinnati would be willing to move a second-rounder for Bates. He is going to sign another huge contract next offseason, and with the Bengals paying Bryan Cook a pretty penny through 2028, the idea of paying Bates long-term as well didn’t make much sense to me.
A third-round pick with a late Day 3 selection coming back would’ve been fair value for only having Bates for the next nine games and potentially the postseason. That a third-round compensatory pick is likely headed to Cincinnati thanks to Trey Hendrickson’s departure would’ve made the price even more manageable for the Bengals.
For the real life price, I think I’m okay with the Bengals passing. If they weren’t going to bring Bates back on a new deal, giving up a second-round pick for him would have been a hard trade to justify. It makes sense that Cincinnati let another team take on the bill.
Bates’ landing spot is quite unfortunate for Bengals
The Jags may’ve given up a lot for Bates, but the Bengals can’t be too happy with where he ended up.
If Cincy is to make it back to the Super Bowl, there’s a good chance Jacksonville will stand in its way in the AFC postseason bracket. The Jaguars are also sporting a 6-2 record, and this trade is about as all-in as a move gets in the middle of a season. They aren’t inserting Bates to finish the year respectably. They’re buying him to win in January and February.
Bates hasn’t played in the playoffs since his time with the Bengals. He’s now on track to returning to the big stage, and there’s a good chance he’ll come across his former team yet again.
The Bengals did their part by beating the Falcons in Madrid and helping set this whole thing in motion. Whether they come to regret where Bates ended up is all dependent on if they can beat him again like they just did.
