The Jacksonville Jaguars are officially pushing their chips into the middle on Monday, as the club completed a series of blockbuster deals to bolster what they clearly feel is a championship calibre roster.
The day began by the team acquiring Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2027 second rounder and a 2028 fifth round selection. As part of the deal, Atlanta will be paying the majority of the remaining salary on Bates’ current deal.
“Jessie has been a proven playmaker on the defensive side of the ball for the last 8+ seasons,” Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said in a statement. “His skill set complements our style of play and the person he is aligns with our culture. We look forward to integrating Jessie into our team as we prepare for the back half of the season.”
The move was then quickly followed up by a second deal with an NFC South team, only this time it was for defensive tackle Davon Godchaux who will join the Jags in exchange for a conditional 2028 sixth round selection.
The trades address two immediate areas of need for Jacksonville who were without safety Eric Murray and defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton after they suffered season ending injuries earlier this year. Both deals bring in longtime NFL veterans who can step in on day 1, but can also be viewed as rentals with each player in the final year of their respective deals.
But the action in Duval wasn’t done yet, as the biggest move of the day was saved for last. To quell any questions about whether the team thought this was their year or not, the Jags swung for the fences by acquiring defensive tackle Jordan Davis from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Davis will rejoin former Georgia Bulldog teammate Travon Walker in the Sunshine state after Jacksonville sent a 2027 first, and 2029 second round pick to Philadelphia.
“Jordan’s impact on the field can be felt on every down,” Gladstone said. “This is a well-rounded premier player and person. We’re excited to add him to the team.”
Unlike the previous two deals, Davis will be with the Jags for the foreseeable future. The 6’6″, 336lbs run stopper is fresh off inking a 3 year, $78M contract extension this past March. Of that sum, $64.4M is guaranteed, with the extension set to kick in at the end of the season.
For Philadelphia, it’s a tough blow losing a locker room leader like Davis, but the move gives them additional cap flexibility to go along with 10 picks inside the first 2 rounds of the next 3 drafts. In all likelihood, this now means that the team will look to sign Moro Ojomo to an extension to play alongside Jalen Carter on the defensive line.
Up next for the new look Jaguars defensive unit will be an AFC South showdown against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, November 15th at 1pm ET.
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.