As we continue to approach the ominous June 1 deadline, it seems more and more likely that the Atlanta Falcons will cut a deal involving Julio Jones. The 32-year-old superstar receiver is still very productive, but he’s becoming pricey for Atlanta to keep around, especially as he begins to regress a bit. After the June 1 deadline has arrived and dead money can be shifted to the next season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see teams bid for his services.
Could one of those teams be the Jacksonville Jaguars? Receiver isn’t exactly a massive need for the team, as it has a pair of young, impressive players in D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault, and it also signed experienced veteran Marvin Jones Jr. this offseason. But none of those guys are quite as talented as Jones, which is why ESPN’s Bill Barnwell predicts that the Jags will send the Falcons a second-round pick and Shenault to acquire Jones and make one of the splashiest trades in franchise history.
He thinks that due to the cost of Jones’ remaining contract, only about five teams with quarterbacks on rookie deals (including Jacksonville) could potentially afford him. Of those, only two — the Patriots and Jaguars — are good fits, per Barnwell. But he doesn’t think New England will be aggressive enough to make a move for him, leaving one potential suitor.
For the Jaguars, though, this deal is plausible. Jacksonville has plenty of cap space, and Trevor Lawrence is at least three years away from an extension. The Jags already established that they want to surround Lawrence with weapons, which is why they signed wideout Marvin Jones Jr. and drafted running back Travis Etienne in the first round this offseason. Etienne is taking snaps at wide receiver in minicamp, suggesting that the Jaguars want to use him in a hybrid role as a runner and receiver.
That role seemed earmarked for Shenault, which opens up a trade possibility. Shenault flashed promise as a rookie, but he was drafted by the now-deposed Dave Caldwell regime in Jacksonville. The 22-year-old still has three years left on his rookie deal, which would make him a low-cost option at receiver for a Falcons team that desperately needs cost-controlled talent. Shenault is not the sort of plug-and-play downfield weapon Arthur Smith had in Tennessee, but there’s plenty to like with the Colorado player.
So, this trade might satisfy both team’s needs. The Jaguars get a true No. 1 at wideout to play alongside Jones and DJ Chark Jr. while helping Lawrence develop. The Falcons get a low-cost solution to try to start replacing Jones and a second-round pick that projects to fall in the top half of the round. It’s no fun to see a team move on from a franchise icon, but if it’s going to happen, this would be one logical way for Atlanta to clear out cap space and get valuable players in return.
Though there are certainly some similarities between Etienne and Shenault with regard to their versatility, they’re also very different players with separate skillsets. They’re far from mutually exclusive players.
But adding a proven No. 1 would give Jacksonville something it hasn’t had since Jimmy Smith was playing ball, and if it could do it for a Day 2 pick and a second-year player (albeit one who was promising as a rookie), it’s an option the Jaguars at least have to consider.