Pro Bowl Safety Emerges as Intriguing Lions Trade Target

The Detroit Lions already showed they were willing to investigate a significant addition to their secondary when they explored a trade for Joey Porter Jr. Now another name has surfaced who would represent an entirely different kind of swing.

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III has been identified as an intriguing potential target for Detroit before the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline. This is not a report that the Falcons are shopping Bates or that Brad Holmes has called Atlanta, but the fit is fascinating enough to deserve a closer look.

Jessie Bates III Named Potential Lions Trade Target

Morgan Cannon and Anthony Balaj included Bates among nine defensive backs the Lions could consider after Dallas beat Detroit to Porter. Their reasoning centers on Detroit's immediate need at safety and Bates entering the final year of his contract with Atlanta.

Bates would not be another temporary body added simply to survive an injury crisis. The 29-year-old has been one of the NFL's most productive safeties for years, recording 27 career interceptions and 71 passes defended while starting every game he has played since entering the league in 2018.

His three seasons in Atlanta have been particularly impressive. Bates intercepted 13 passes from 2023-25, including six during his first year with the Falcons, while producing at least 97 tackles in each of those three seasons.

There is an important complication, however. Bates said during the offseason that he wants to retire with Atlanta , even though he acknowledged that the Falcons had not approached him about a contract extension at that point.

Detroit's interest in upgrading the secondary is no longer theoretical. The Lions investigated Porter before Pittsburgh ultimately traded him to Dallas, and they have since been connected to several other possible cornerback targets .

Bates would address a different problem. Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph opened the season on the PUP list, Avonte Maddox has already been lost for the year , and Detroit has been forced to lean heavily on veterans Chuck Clark and Christian Izien.

Branch and Joseph can become eligible to return, but eligibility does not guarantee availability. Dan Campbell has already made it clear that Detroit will not rush Joseph back before his knee is ready.

Adding Bates would immediately give Kelvin Sheppard another proven playmaker in the back end of his defense. It would also create the possibility of eventually pairing Bates with Branch, giving Detroit two versatile defensive backs capable of disguising coverages and making plays on the football.

There are obvious reasons a Bates trade would be difficult. Atlanta would first have to decide it is willing to move one of its best defensive players, and the Falcons have given no public indication that they are ready to do that.

Then there is the contract situation. Bates is scheduled to reach free agency after this season, meaning Detroit would have to decide whether it views him as an expensive rental or someone worth extending beyond 2026.

That could actually be part of the appeal if Atlanta falls out of contention. Rather than losing Bates in free agency, the Falcons could theoretically decide that recovering draft capital makes more sense if the two sides are not headed toward another contract.

For Detroit, everything would come down to acquisition cost. Holmes has generally resisted sacrificing premium future assets for short-term fixes, but the Lions' pursuit of Porter showed that he is at least willing to examine significant defensive upgrades.

The Lions don't need another name simply because the trade deadline is approaching. They need someone capable of changing a defense that has already been stretched thin in the secondary.

If Atlanta ever decides Jessie Bates III is actually available, Holmes should have a very interesting phone call to make.