With the 2026 season little more than a month away, rosters remain unsettled as training camp brings roster battles and trade chatter. A recent proposal outlines five deals that could be completed before Week 1 to address remaining holes, highlighting several players who could be moved to better align with team needs and cap situations.
One proposed swap would send safety Jessie Bates III and a 2028 sixth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 third-round pick. Bates, signed by the Falcons in 2023 to a four-year, $64 million deal, posted six interceptions and three forced fumbles in 2023 while earning second-team All-Pro honors and remained effective in 2024 before a lesser 2025 campaign. The 29-year-old ranked fifth in a survey of coaches and executives conducted by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The proposal notes Atlanta has ample 2027 cap room even after the Bijan Robinson extension and might prefer draft capital over risking losing Bates in free agency.
The Bates idea also points to personnel fits: former Falcons coach Raheem Morris — who worked with Bates the past two seasons — is now San Francisco’s defensive coordinator, the 49ers ranked 25th in EPA allowed per dropback last season, and the team would pay roughly $13 million for Bates’ 2026 contract as a short-term addition. Atlanta would have emerging safety Xavier Watts on the roster as a potential replacement.
Another suggested deal would send edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the New England Patriots for a 2027 third-round pick. Thibodeaux is playing on a $14.75 million fifth-year option and is set to be a free agent after the season. The proposal notes New York has added a first-round edge rusher, Arvell Reese, and that Thibodeaux previously could have been considered a depth piece behind Brian Burns and Abdul Carter. New England currently fields edge rushers Harold Landry III and Dre’Mont Jones, making the Patriots a proposed fit for a team seeking pass-rush help and potential long-term upside.
The full package lays out five potential deals that include moves involving Bates, Thibodeaux, and others such as Kayshon Boutte, with the intent of creating win-win outcomes aligned with each club’s depth chart, contention timeline and salary-cap picture. All proposals are framed as timing plays to be resolved before Week 1 as camps wind down.
