The Jacksonville Jaguars made a major move to shore up their secondary on Monday, acquiring safety Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. The former Wake Forest standout joins a Jaguars team with Super Bowl aspirations and could make his debut as early as Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans.

While the trade caught many by surprise, it also raised an unusual concern.

With Bates yet to have his bye week this season, two-time Super Bowl champion Brandon Stokley questioned whether the safety could end up playing 18 games and called on the NFL Players Association to step in.

Brandon Stokley Calls on NFLPA To Address Jessie Bates’ Potential 18-Game Season

ESPN insider Adam Schefter was the first one to point out that Bates had not yet had a bye this season. Since the Jaguars have already had theirs in Week 7, the safety could play every remaining game without getting a week off, potentially putting him on track for an 18-game season.

Stokley believes the NFLPA needs to address situations like this, especially with more players changing teams during the season. He also argued that Bates should receive an additional game check for taking on the extra workload.

“The NFLPA needs to get this fixed. Now that we’re seeing so many trades… this will happen more, especially if the season goes to 18 games,” Stokley wrote.

“The player needs to be compensated for this!! He should get another game check. He’s supposed to have a week off and still get paid, but instead he has to put his body and health on the line during a contract year. That’s just not right,” added the former wide receiver.

Bates is in the final year of a four-year, $64 million contract and should be a major addition for the Jaguars, who lost starting safety Eric Murray to a season-ending elbow injury.

The former Wake Forest standout has recorded 60 total tackles (35 solo), three forced fumbles, one interception, and four passes defended this season. His production has earned him a PFN Safety Impact Score of 81.3, which ranks 17th in the NFL.

NFL icon J.J. Watt also raised the same question about Bates’ potential workload in a post on X after the trade was completed.

“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 remarked.

“I’m not saying he isn’t ok with it, just asking an interesting question about a very unique and rare situation.”

Bates entered the NFL as the No. 54 overall pick in the 2018 draft, selected by the Cincinnati Bengals. He made the PFWA All-Rookie Team and spent his first five seasons in Cincinnati before joining the Falcons in 2023.

Since then, he has continued to establish himself as one of the league’s top safeties, earning three Second-Team All-Pro selections and one Pro Bowl nod.