The San Francisco 49ers have no shortage of competition at safety during training camp, with Ji'Ayir Brown and Marques Sigle among the players battling for a starting role. However, ESPN's Seth Walder believes the team could strengthen its secondary by making a significant trade.
Walder proposes that the 49ers send a 2027 third-round draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for veteran safety Jessie Bates III and a 2028 sixth-round pick.
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Bates (6-1, 210) out of Wake Forest in the second round (No. 54 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. After spending his first five NFL seasons in Cincinnati, he signed with the Falcons as a free agent in 2023.
Bates has earned second-team All-Pro honors three times (2020, 2023, and 2025). He also received Pro Bowl recognition in 2023 after recording six interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a career-high 132 tackles.
"He was good again in 2024, but he wasn't quite on the same level last season," Walder wrote. "Still, the 29-year-old Bates remains one of the best safeties in the league."
Walder believes Atlanta could be motivated to move Bates because the Falcons are not expected to contend in 2026, and the veteran is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
"They would risk losing Bates without getting a compensatory pick in return if he walks in free agency," Walder added. "So it's better for Atlanta to deal him now."
A move to San Francisco would also reunite Bates with former Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who now serves as the 49ers' defensive coordinator.
"San Francisco would be giving up real draft capital for a short-term player, but that's an indicator of Bates' skill and the fact that his contract would cost the 49ers only $13 million in 2026 -- a below-market price to sign a player of his caliber," Walder wrote.
Over eight NFL seasons, Bates has appeared in and started 130 games, totaling 811 tackles, 70 passes defensed, 27 interceptions—including four returned for touchdowns—11 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and one sack.
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