Jessie Bates III is the Atlanta Falcons' ball-hawking veteran free safety out of Wake Forest.
Bates joined Atlanta in 2023 as a marquee free-agent signing after five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, and he has been a centerpiece of the Falcons secondary ever since. The Wake Forest product is known for his range, his interception production and his meticulous film study. He has built a reputation as one of the steadier deep safeties in the league.
Path to the league
Bates played three seasons at Wake Forest from 2015 to 2017, posting 179 tackles, six interceptions and nine passes defensed across 24 games. The Cincinnati Bengals selected him in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He developed into a full-time starter in Cincinnati before signing with Atlanta in 2023.
Career highlights
Bates earned Pro Bowl recognition during his run with the Bengals and helped Cincinnati reach Super Bowl LVI following the 2021 season. He has remained among the more productive coverage safeties in the NFL, regularly turning takeaways into points. He became the only player in the league to record a pick-six in each of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons.
2025 season
Bates played all 17 regular-season games for the Falcons in 2025, recording 98 total tackles, three interceptions, six passes defensed and one forced fumble. He finished second on the team in tackles and tied for second in interceptions. In Week 17 he returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown, his fourth career pick-six and third as a Falcon.
Sources
- Atlanta Falcons: Jessie Bates III player page
- ESPN: Jessie Bates III player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | falcons | 17 | 98 | 57 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 2024 | falcons | 17 | 102 | 62 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 10 |
| 2023 | falcons | 17 | 132 | 89 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
| 2022 | bengals | 16 | 71 | 38 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 2021 | bengals | 15 | 88 | 67 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2020 | bengals | 16 | 109 | 78 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
| 2019 | bengals | 16 | 99 | 70 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 2018 | bengals | 16 | 111 | 73 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Wake Forest
- Hometown
- Fort Wayne, IN, USA
- Age
- 29
- Status
- active
