This All-Pro safety may be Jets' most fascinating pipe dream trade target

The New York Jets had one of the league's worst defenses last year. Even before they traded two defensive cornerstones in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, the unit was one of the least effective in all of football.

Not only could they not get stops, but they couldn't consistently force turnovers in a way that we've never seen before. The Jets were the first team in modern NFL history to go an entire season without recording an interception.

That's why Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey must do whatever they can to overhaul the defense this offseason, including finding new playmakers on the backend.

Lucky for them, there's one All-Pro safety out there entering the final year of his contract, and New York, with all of their resources, could be the team to nab him.

Jessie Bates III is a perfect trade target for the Jets

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III could be exactly what the Jets are looking for to man the back of their defense. Dating back to his days with the Cincinnati Bengals, Bates is one of the premier ball-hawking safeties in the NFL.

In his eight-year career, the former Wake Forest product has hauled in 27 interceptions and forced 11 fumbles. The three-time All-Pro clearly has a nose for the football, and that's something the Jets are desperately lacking on their defense.

The reason why a trade makes sense is the Falcons' current cap situation. As it stands now, Over the Cap has Atlanta with just $8 million heading into free agency. They'll get some relief by cutting quarterback Kirk Cousins, but in the first year of a new regime, new general manager Ian Cunningham is going to want some flexibility.

Enter the Jets, who could send a Day 3 pick to the Falcons to rid them of Bates' contract. Entering 2026, Bates only has one year remaining on the four-year, $64 million deal he signed with Atlanta in 2023, and a cap hit of $24.7 million.

Armed with the third-most cap space in the league, the Jets are uniquely positioned to absorb a contract of that size, and could even haggle with the Falcons to have them pay a portion of his salary to improve the draft pick they send in a hypothetical trade.

No matter the trade, Bates would be a welcome addition to the backend of the Jets' defense and could hopefully break that awful interception streak early in 2026.