The Jaguars have their safety. Jacksonville officially announced its trade for Jessie Bates III on Monday, NBC Sports reported, acquiring the veteran defensive back from the Falcons ahead of the deadline.

The price: two draft picks headed to Atlanta, cutting into Jacksonville's 2027 draft capital. For a team making a win-now move on the back end of its defense, that's the cost of doing deadline business — and Bates has been one of the league's most productive safeties since his Cincinnati days.

The early report cards are in, too. ESPN issued grades for both sides of the deal, with analysts weighing Jacksonville's aggressiveness against the draft assets surrendered.

The trade lands against the broader 2027 draft-order picture taking shape after Week 10, where the Titans remain near the top of the board. For Atlanta, the picks are future ammunition; for Jacksonville, the bet is that Bates makes the 2027 draft slot they gave up irrelevant by getting them into January.