Jaguars' Bold Trade Deadline Moves Have Clearly Put AFC Contenders on Alert

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't going to debut the top prizes of their 2026 trade deadline haul in Week 10, but that hasn't stopped the moves from already making an impact.

The Jaguars sent a first-round pick, two second-round picks, and a fifth-round pick over the next three drafts to the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons during their trade deadline fireworks, landing Jordan Davis and Jessie Bates III in the process.

The moves signalled the Jaguars were all-in to the rest of the football world, including some of their top foes in the AFC in the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills.

Grabbing Attention

It was clear when the Bills later traded a second-round pick for Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker and a fifth-round pick that the move was made in some kind of direct relation to the Jaguars landing Bates. Bates and Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker were the two biggest names on the safety market ahead of the deadline, with Hooker as the clear third-best option.

Baker was not traded, though reports have indicated the Bills and Jaguars each expressed interest. Then the Jaguars made the first move by landing Bates from the Falcons on Monday, with the Bills' response of adding Hooker coming the next day. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bills and Jaguars were the two teams pushing the hardest for Bates ... and the Jaguars, of course, landed him.

Then there was the Davis deal. There has been a question externally for who exactly else would have been in the market for Davis and, according to Schefter, it was once again the Bills and general manager Brandon Beane. Go back to last year's deadline when the Bills were in the running for Jakobi Meyers, and there is quite the trend now on James Gladstone getting deals done over the Bills at the deadline.

The two teams that were most aggressive in trading for Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis were the Bills and Jaguars, who wound up trading a first- and second-round pick to the Eagles. The two teams most aggressive for former Falcons safety Jessie Bates also were the Bills and… https://t.co/A9jxCTvPTB
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 15, 2026

The Jaguars and Bills met once last season, with the Bills getting a close win over the Jaguars in the Wild Card round in Jacksonville in a game that changed hands multiple times in the fourth quarter. They are once again two of the top teams in the AFC, and all roads to the Super Bowl through the conference may go through these two teams.

Both the Jaguars and Bills made it clear at the deadline that they think they can win the entire conference. The fact the Jaguars beat them to two different targets is worth keeping in mind moving forward. And then there are the Denver Broncos, who ended up making zero deals at the deadline after their lone deal fell through.

The Broncos are up there with the Jaguars and Bills as the top-three teams in th AFC, and they have split two games with the Jaguars since the 2025 season. Broncos offensive quality control coach Willie Snead took to social media to react to the Jaguars' big deals in a since-deleted post.

Broncos OQC coach Willie Snead tweeted (since deleted) that the Jaguars "still can't beat us" after the big trades ahead of the deadline. pic.twitter.com/lM3MRtZV5V
— Nash Henry (@NashJagsNats22) November 11, 2026

The Jaguars have caught the eye of the rest of the AFC with their explosive trade deadline additions. Now, the Jaguars will have to finish the job over the next few weeks as they look to make their push in the AFC.

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