After projections had run wild leading up to the deadline, the Atlanta Falcons decided to trade Jessie Bates III to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday.
With each passing game, which over the last five have resulted in four losses, Bates’ name appeared to be popping up more and more in trade rumors, with teams like the Jaguars and even the Buffalo Bills as potential landing spots.
The All-Pro safety will now be calling Jacksonville, who currently sits at 6-2 leading the AFC South, home for the remainder of the season. So, what does that mean for the Falcons going forward this season?
Well, if you believe head coach Kevin Stefanski, the Falcons aren’t giving up on the season.
“Our fans are smart enough to know in no way, shape, or form would we punt on this season,” Stefanski told reporters following Bates’ trade on Monday, per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “We have three wins, just like every other team in our division.”
Stefanski: Our fans are smart enough to know in no way, shape, or form would we punt on this season. We have three wins, just like every other team in our division. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) November 9, 2026
This reminds me of that episode of "The Office" where Jim, who just received a promotion, tries to reason with the non-sales staff on why they’re not getting raises over the sales staff.
Jim: You guys are smart, so I’m just leveling with you.
Jim then receives immediate pushback from Oscar, Angela and Kelly, who asks, “Why you being such a jerk?”
Oscar: Hold on, Kelly, would it help you to know that Jim thinks you’re smart?
So, despite trading away one of the team’s best all-around players, does it help, Falcons fans, to know that Kevin Stefanski thinks you’re smart?
Why trading Jessie Bates was the correct call for the Atlanta Falcons
Okay, first and foremost, moving on from Bates actually was a wise move considering the circumstances. He’s a near 30-year-old safety in the last year of his deal, and it didn’t seem likely Atlanta was willing to re-sign him, despite his likability.
“You guys know how I feel about Jessie the person, Jessie the player,” Stefanski said. “But this is football. Sometimes you have one foot in the short term, one foot in the long term.”
This was all about the long term.
First, the return Atlanta got for Bates was downright incredible: a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. The Jaguars appear to be pulling out all the stops to make sure they’re headed to Los Angeles on Valentine’s Day. They followed the Bates trade with another for Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis, sending Philadelphia a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick, and gave up a sixth-rounder for Saints defensive tackle Davon Godchaux.
Acquiring a second second-round pick is significant to new general manager Ian Cunningham’s plan, and he hasn’t been shy about his belief in building a team through the draft. Stefanski further emphasized that notion, calling draft picks “the life blood of an organization.”
Seeing as how the previous regime with Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris didn’t share that same emphasis, Cunningham and Stefanski, along with President of Football Matt Ryan, are using their first year together to remedy the issue. Moving Bates was much-needed business.
Second, Stefanski may not say it publicly, but this team simply isn’t any sort of contender in 2026. And that’s not even talking about the Super Bowl. That’s just contending for the NFC South.
Yes, one game separates the Falcons from the top of the division, where all four teams currently have three wins. Last-place Atlanta and third-place Tampa Bay have six losses, while the division-leading Panthers and second-place Saints have five. But if this team is anything like the last eight when they reach November (and it certainly seems that way), then just prepare for Year 9 without reaching the playoffs.
At this point, any of the NFC South teams could shamefully enter the playoffs holding up a losing record as if it were a scarlet letter. Even the Falcons. But that would also mean the Falcons would have produced a losing season nine years in a row.
Can the Atlanta Falcons finish with a winning season?
For Atlanta to finish with a winning record this season, they’d have to go 6-2 at worst. I’m not sure any Falcons fan feels confident in that, and it’s unlikely Stefanski or anyone in the front office does either. Again, if they did, why trade Bates?
So, yeah, Kevin Stefanski, Falcons fans are smart. Smart enough to know that this is heading toward another season with no playoff berth, no winning record and a future that still seems bleak at best, with questions that begin at starting quarterback and end somewhere around who replaces the best player on the defense they just traded away.
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