The Jacksonville Jaguars made three defensive additions ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, but their acquisition of Jessie Bates III comes with an unusual scheduling wrinkle that even caught the attention of former NFL star and current CBS color analyst JJ Watt.
Watt took to X after the trade to point out that Bates could potentially play 18 regular-season games this year despite the NFL's 17-game schedule. The reason? Atlanta has yet to reach its bye week, while Jacksonville already had its week off back in Week 7.
“Random thought on the Jessie Bates trade… Obviously Atlanta hasn’t had their Bye Week yet and Jacksonville already had theirs, so he will theoretically be playing 18 straight regular season games with no break. But he doesn’t get an extra game check for the extra game right?” Watt posted.
Watt later clarified that he wasn't suggesting Bates had an issue with the situation, but rather highlighting how unusual it is.
“Yeah, I’m not saying he isn’t ok with it, just asking an interesting question on a very unique and rare situation. It’s champagne problems for sure. We chase a little brown ball around for a living (or talk about guys chasing a little brown ball for a living). It’s incredible work if you can get it,” Watt added.
It's certainly an interesting wrinkle in what has been an incredible day for Jacksonville. The Jaguars acquired Bates from the Falcons, defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from the Saints and Jordan Davis from the Eagles, making three moves to overhaul their defensive personnel.
Jacksonville was already playing excellent football, entering the week at 6-2 and holding a strong position in the AFC South. Now, the team has added a three-time second-team All-Pro safety and two more defensive linemen to an already competitive roster.
The Jaguars are clearly serious about making a championship run. These additions could make them one of the most dangerous teams in the AFC, and Bates might have to put in a little extra work along the way.