By Jordan Long
The Atlanta Falcons may deal wide receiver Julio Jones. He has been productive in their offense ever since they drafted him in 2011, totaling 12,896 receiving yards and 60 touchdowns in his career. The reason why Atlanta is looking to trade him is his cap hit. This season he is owed around $15.3 million in base salary but with bonuses, it is a cap hit of around $23 million. Next year the cap hit is around $19.263 million. The Falcons would like to save money. There are a few teams interested in him, the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, and L.A. Chargers
Green Bay makes a lot of sense. There have been rumors that quarterback Aaron Rodgers is unhappy with General Manager Brian Gutekunst. A move like this one could change Rodgers’ mind and convince him to stay in Green Bay.
The Packers don’t have a lot of talent at wide receiver except Davante Adams. The Packers could use another deep threat for Rodgers to pass the football too. Jones would line up opposite of Adams. Rodgers would then have two top wide receivers to throw to. The only problem is this still may not make Rodgers happy. He won’t drop his trade demand. If that is the case, Jordan Love takes over. Who knows what kind of quarterback he is, but two talented wide receivers makes his job easier.
The New England Patriots could use another weapon. Their best wide receiver last year, Julian Edelman retired leaving a void for the offense. Adding Jones to the team gives them another wide receiver. Acquiring Jones makes the team better, but still doesn’t close the gap between them and the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are still the best team in that division. With Jones, this could mean the Patriots are looking at a playoff spot but it wouldn’t mean they are ready for a deep run in the postseason quite yet.
The Colts need another wide receiver. They traded for quarterback Carson Wentz in the offseason after Philip Rivers retired and Carson is now their #1 quarterback on the depth chart. They have a #1 receiver in T.Y. Hilton. The depth also includes Zach Pascal and Michael Pittman Jr. Jones gives Wentz a better target than Hilton. Both are receivers who make plays in the open field. Pascal and Pittman would move to be the 3 and 4 options. This offense would be hard to stop. It may mean the Colts are the team to beat in the AFC South Division. They could be better than the Tennessee Titans who won the Division a year ago.
The Ravens and the Chargers may possibly stay away from Jones. Sure he would help the wide receiver talent on those teams, but the Ravens and Chargers seem set. The Ravens mostly run the football and quarterback Lamar Jackson takes off with his legs to move the chains. They have wide receivers they can count on which include Sammy Watkins, Marquise Brown, and first round pick Rashod Bateman. All of them are playmakers who can catch the ball and make defenders miss for first downs or longer. Adding Jones doesn’t make sense. There wouldn’t be enough footballs to go around.
The same thing is true for the Chargers. They have Keenan Allen and Mike Williams as their top two wide receivers. Trading for Jones on paper makes sense but in the end, he may complain he isn’t getting the football enough because Allen and Williams would take his catches away. The Chargers, even if they decide to acquire Jones, aren’t winning the AFC West. Kansas City is still the king of that division and will be for years to come. Chargers would be lucky to earn a playoff spot.
Teams are going to call the Falcons to see what they would want for Jones. If the price is right, make the deal. An agreement could be a 2nd or 3rd pick in the 2022 NFL draft and a 4th round pick in 2023. The Falcons would be greedy if they expected a 1st round pick back. That is too high of a price for Jones. Jones seems like he is going to have a fresh start in a new city for the 2021 season. It’s just a matter of time.
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