The New England Patriots check off the only quality that Julio Jones has said he wants in a team. He wants a team that can win now. Bill Belichick has proven he can do that, even if his team went 7-9 in 2020. Belichick stocked up on talent over the offseason to tool up an offense filled with skill players for quarterbacks Cam Newton and Mac Jones.
The Patriots would be happy to land a player of Jones’ caliber, even after making a significant financial investment at the receiver and tight end positions in free agency. Jones makes sense as a trade target, if for no other reason than he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL. It helps that his contract is reasonable, with salaries of $15.3 million in 2021, $11.513 million in 2022 and $11.513 million in 2023. For an undisputed No. 1 receiver, that’s entirely palatable. And while it might bump a player like Nelson Agholor, who will make $11 million per year over two years, down the depth chart, New England should be OK with adding more talent.
They’re certainly not going to spend much at the quarterback position, likely working with Newton and Jones in 2021 and perhaps transitioning to Jones full-time in 2022. So if the Patriots’ plan is to enjoy low spending at quarterback, they can safely invest in the positions around that quarterback.
Gone are the days of Tom Brady. Gone are the days where the quarterback elevates his teammates. Now, the Patriots will need the teammates to elevate the quarterback.
This is all to say that Jones could absolutely be an option for New England. And perhaps the Patriots could go so far as to put cornerback Stephon Gilmore on the table in the trade. It’s a crazy hypothetical, but let’s dive into why it might work for both parties.