The Jacksonville Jaguars hope their aggressive trade deadline is exactly what the team needed to get over the top. 

But how much of an impact will the trades have as the Jaguars attempt to reach the Super Bowl for the first time ever?

Big trades, like big free agent signings, don’t always work out as planned, and Jacksonville sacrificed a large chunk of its future in hopes of winning this season. 

The Jaguars made three separate trades this past Monday, acquiring safety Jessie Bates III and defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Jordan Davis. 

While Godchaux only cost a 2028 sixth-round pick, the deals for Bates and Davis were much more expensive. Bates cost Jacksonville its 2027 second-round and 2028 fifth-round picks. The Jaguars dealt away 2027 first- and 2029 second-round picks for Davis. 

A team doesn’t make one deal like that, let alone two in the same day, unless it expects them to make a big impact. 

Jacksonville wasn't the only team in the NFL to make significant moves at the deadline. Other clubs made their own moves with the same goals in mind as the Jaguars.

How did Jacksonville's deals measure up to the others made around the league? Will their new additions make more of an impact than the trades the other teams made?

Austin Mock of The Athletic ranked the 10 most impactful deals of this year's trade deadline. Both of Jacksonville's big trades made the list.

The Jaguars trade for Bates came in at number four, while their move for Davis ranked ninth.

Mock is high on Jacksonville's trade for Bates. Not only is Bates a replacement for safety Eric Murray, who is out for the season, but a significant upgrade. Bates is a three-time All-Pro and is still a big-time playmaker, and Mock believes his addition makes the Jaguars the "most well-rounded team" in the AFC.

"Bates is a defensive playmaker. So far in 2026, he’s forced three fumbles, defended four passes and made 59 tackles in nine games. The guy just finds the ball. And that fits perfectly within a Jaguars defense that has generated turnovers all season long. Bates is also good in coverage, as he yields only 0.38 yards per coverage snap, per SumerSports. That’ll be a big help to a Jaguars defense that is prone to surrendering explosive passes. My model was already high on the Jaguars before the trade deadline, and adding a player like Bates probably makes them the most well-rounded team in the AFC — if they weren’t already."

Jacksonville's trade for Jordan Davis has received mostly negative reviews from the national media. The Jaguars paid a very premium price for someone many believe isn't a premium player.

Mock, like many, thinks Jacksonville overpaid for Davis, and doesn't think the trade will make as much of an impact as the Jaguars do.

"This one being so far down the list, especially given the premium draft capital the Jaguars surrendered, may surprise people, but I’m not too impressed with this move. Davis is a good run defender, but that’s basically all he is. His pass rush is … well, he doesn’t really do it. PFF rates him as the 18th-best run defender, but Davis has a pass-rush win rate that ranks 65th out of 76 qualified defensive tackles. I know he’s filling the role of the recently injured DaVon Hamilton, but I’m not sure if he will make the same impact. Maybe he will play better on a better defense, since the Eagles have been quite poor this year, but the Jaguars gave up a lot for a run defender who might not be elite."

The Jaguars' trade for Davis was by far their biggest move, but most believe it will be the trade for Bates that will be the better move.

If Jacksonville expects to reach the Super Bowl, both Bates and Davis will have to make a big impact over the team's final nine games.

The Jaguars mortgaged much of their future to acquire Bates and Davis.

Now it is up to both to prove it was worth it.