The Atlanta Falcons want a 1st-round pick in a Julio Jones trade, but they may not get one, which is good news for the San Francisco 49ers.
It appears the Falcons and wide receiver Julio Jones are careening toward a split. Jones has asked for a trade while Atlanta undergoes something of a rebuild, and a player of his caliber is going to garner plenty of interest around the league. ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday reported the Falcons are asking for a first-round pick in exchange for the seven-time Pro Bowler, but they’re not expected to receiver such compensation.
If that is the case and no team is going to part with a first-round pick for the 32-year-old, that means good news for the 49ers. They traded both of their next two first-round picks to move up to No. 3 in this year’s draft.
It’s not a given that the Falcons will hold onto Jones if no first-round pick is offered. He carries for them a $23.05 million cap hit this year according to Over the Cap. His cap hits the next two years both eclipse $19 million. Atlanta this season finds themselves in dire straits from a cap standpoint. They’re working with just $410,351 in space according to OTC, and shedding Jones’ salary via post-June 1 trade would save them $15.3 million this year and $11.513 million over the next two years.
That cap savings for Atlanta is important in regards to what teams will be willing to part with for Jones, who turned 32 in February and played only nine games last season because of a nagging hamstring injury. There are only a handful of teams with the salary cap space to take on a contract of that size, and the cap hit combined with the injury-riddled season and his age could make teams wary of unloading premium draft capital for the two-time First-Team All-Pro.
San Francisco is among the teams that could use Jones and fit him in under the salary cap with a little maneuvering. There’ll be competition for Jones as long as he’s on the market, but Schefter’s report and the details surrounding a possible deal make it clear the 49ers have a legitimate shot at the star receiver even without the benefit of first-round picks.
If the Falcons and Julio Jones are truly done with each other, Calvin Ridley is ready to be Atlanta’s No. 1 receiver.
It’s clear that things have broken down between receiver Julio Jones and the Atlanta Falcons. On Monday, Shannon Sharpe of the “Undisputed” show got Jones to say on the air — whether Jones knew he was on the air or not — that he was “out of there,” and that wherever he goes, he “wants to win.” Which apparently precludes the Dallas Cowboys from trade discussions with Atlanta’s franchise receiver.
The Falcons are trying to clear cap space, which is the only sensible reason to trade Jones, but there we are. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reminded us that it was Jones who requested a trade a few months back, and that’s where things started. Where things are is the team’s official Twitter account summarizing what Jones said, which you don’t often see.
In a call with Shannon Sharpe, Julio Jones commented on his future in Atlanta. https://t.co/i3622KR4fp
So, let’s assume that Jones will not be a Falcon in 2021. He’s somewhere else, and it’s up to the rest of Atlanta’s receivers to make up the difference. This is ostensibly one reason the Falcons selected Florida tight end Kyle Pitts with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, making Pitts the highest-drafted tight end in pro football history. New head coach and former Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has displayed a deft touch with multiple tight end sets — last season, with two or more tight ends on the field, the Titans had fourteen receiving touchdowns to just two interceptions. Good news for Pitts and Hayden Hurst.
Of the remaining receiver corps in any post-Jones era in Atlanta, special attention should be paid to fourth-year man Calvin Ridley, selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Alabama. Jones missed seven games last season due to injury, which put the pressure on Ridley, and Ridley responded magnificently, catching 90 passes on 143 targets for 1,374 yards, and nine touchdowns. Jones’ absences gave defenses the opportunity to treat Ridley as the Falcons’ WR1 more often than not, and not only did Ridley prove able to live up to that title, he was also the most prolific deep receiver in the NFL last season.
Per Pro Football Focus, no other receiver had more deep targets (36) or deep receptions (16) in the 2020 regular season than Ridley. Only Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf had more total yards on passes of 20 or more air yards than Ridley’s 475, which tied him for second with Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill. Ridley had just two deep touchdowns, but that’s as much a function of Atlanta’s offense over the years; just look at Jones’ touchdown totals throughout his career.
It’s not ideal for Smith if he doesn’t have Jones in his quiver, but Ridley was an able second No. 1, and if he has to be the top guy, he showed more than enough when Jones wasn’t on the field. To show this, we can look at some of the explosive plays Ridley was responsible for when Jones was out.
This 31-yard catch against the Chiefs in Week 16 came about as Kansas City’s defense spun to single-high post snap, receiver Russell Gage (No. 83) was doubled, and Ridley (No. 18) was left wide open on the intermediate crosser. There are times when post-snap coverage rotation negatively affects the defense, and this is one such example.
The week before, Ridley was responsible for this 28-yard play against the Buccaneers in which he showed an excellent feel for how to create space in coverage with movement, and then exploit that coverage.
Ridley may not have Jones’ ability to make contested catches as a superhuman level, but we’re talking about Julio Jones here — that guy is not necessarily replaceable with conventional receivers. But if the Falcons have to get it done on offense without Jones, Ridley is a primary reason that not all hope is lost.
Julio Jones is still under contract and technically has no say in his next destination, but that hasn’t stop players and fans around the NFL from recruiting the star wideout to their team.
Former NFL defensive back Darius Butler weighed in on the topic, taking to Twitter to ask what team fans think Jones will be on in 2021.
Slay has never been shy about recruiting potential Eagles and he was one of the first to answer Butler. Slay’s recruitment could center around Philadelphia facing the Falcons in the season opener and with Jones on the Eagles or another roster, the task could become a little easier.
Jones said Monday he is planning on leaving the franchise during an interview on FS1’s Undisputed with Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless.
"Oh no, I'm outta there man." – Julio Jones to Shannon Sharpe on playing for the Falcons, while on speakerphone on national television ….. pic.twitter.com/t86PgAOqS9
“I’m outta there,” Jones said when reached by telephone by Shannon Sharpe.
Jones, whose base salary of $15.3 million is fully guaranteed for the 2021 season, is scheduled to cost the Falcons $23.05 million against the cap in 2021 and has cap hits of $19.263 million in 2022 and 2023.
Julio Jones is still under contract and technically has no say in his next destination, but that hasn’t stop players and fans around the NFL from recruiting the star wideout to their team.
Former NFL defensive back Darius Butler weighed in on the topic, taking to Twitter to ask what team fans think Jones will be on in 2021.
Slay has never been shy about recruiting potential Eagles and he was one of the first to answer Butler. Slay’s recruitment could center around Philadelphia facing the Falcons in the season opener and with Jones on the Eagles or another roster, the task could become a little easier.
Jones said Monday he is planning on leaving the franchise during an interview on FS1’s Undisputed with Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless.
"Oh no, I'm outta there man." – Julio Jones to Shannon Sharpe on playing for the Falcons, while on speakerphone on national television ….. pic.twitter.com/t86PgAOqS9
“I’m outta there,” Jones said when reached by telephone by Shannon Sharpe.
Jones, whose base salary of $15.3 million is fully guaranteed for the 2021 season, is scheduled to cost the Falcons $23.05 million against the cap in 2021 and has cap hits of $19.263 million in 2022 and 2023.
DeAndre Hopkins took to Twitter to effectively recruit Julio Jones to Arizona. Here’s how this could work.
Speculation ran its course through the Arizona Cardinals’ social media world Friday afternoon with another recruitment tweet from star wideout DeAndre Hopkins.
Falcons All-Pro receiver and franchise icon Julio Jones has been rumored to be traded before the start of the 2021 season. More specifically, Jones would be dealt as a post June 1 designation to create more cap space for the club. As of right now, Atlanta doesn’t even have the cash to sign their rookie class.
Multiple outlets have reported the Falcons’ intentions to move Jones. The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz reported Atlanta would like to move their star wideout at this time.
While teams like the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers have come up as possible landing spots for Jones, the Cardinals have been brought up as a dark horse. That is, of course, before DeAndre Hopkins took to Twitter on the matter.
This alone shouldn’t be dismissed, given Hopkins’ involvement in the recruitment of J.J. Watt back in March. Julio Jones is very close with Hopkins, so there is a similar sort of connection there.
So, how could the Cardinals even make this work? For one, Jones would likely require a new/restructured contract. Second, the Cards aren’t exactly in dire need of another wideout. The starting lineup currently consists of DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore. Larry Fitzgerald, at this point, is still a possibility.
It goes without saying — the Cardinals would quite possibly be elevated to Super Bowl contender with the likes of Julio Jones to pair with their already explosive offense.
Here’s how a trade could work between Atlanta and Arizona:
At this point in time, the rumored asking price for Jones would be a second-round pick and change. He is 32 years old and coming off an injury-plagued season, therefore unlikely to fetch a first-rounder. Here are two projected trades between the two clubs:
ARI receives: WR Julio Jones, 2022 sixth-round pick
Or, in the case of Atlanta hoping for young talent in return, there is this possibility:
ATL receives: 2022 second-round pick, WR Christian Kirk
ARI receives: WR Julio Jones
This idea has been floated around given the Cardinals’ selection of slot wideout Rondale Moore in the second round of the draft. With Kirk set to be a free agent next year, they could ship the talented receiver to Atlanta, giving Matt Ryan another weapon in the absence of Jones. Moore would likely take a full-time slot role, with the small possibility of a Fitzgerald return to the slot in Kirk’s departure.
Julio Jones shouldn’t cost too much in terms of a trade, a first round pick hasn’t been traded for a skill position over 27 in 10 years #AZCardinals
— Cardinals Fanatics (@cardsfanatics_) May 21, 2021
Financially, it gets a bit more complex. Jones has a base salary of $15.3 million.
As for Hopkins’ contract, his cap number is already relatively low this year at $12.5 million, meaning there isn’t a ton of room to lower this year’s overall cap situation. Because his salary is only $4.75 million this year, any restructure would not even save $1 million against the cap this year.
However, there are others who can make a difference for the acquisition of Jones. Star edge rusher Chandler Jones currently has the team’s largest cap hit at more than $20 million. It would take a contract extension to lower that number or by adding voiding years at the end of the deal, which expires after this season. It would effectively be similar to what the front office did with J.J. Watt’s deal, adding an extra year to the contract to spread out the cap hit.
Other potential contract re-structures include LT D.J. Humphries($19.3 million) and DT Jordan Phillips($12 million). The Cardinals could also see cap relief by way of releasing linebacker Devon Kennard as a post-June 1 cut, saving $6.75 million, or by trading linebacker Jordan Hicks after June 1 to save $3 million.
With the Cardinals currently sitting at around $13.5 million in available cap space, they likely wouldn’t have enough to bring in Jones as it is. Still, it’s the 13th-highest remaining cap number in the league, with plenty of ways to increase it.
To answer the question bluntly — could the Cardinals find a way financially to bring in Julio Jones?
Yes, yes they could.
Will they give up a large amount of capital to add another wideout to a crowded receiver room with holes at tight end and cornerback? That is the larger obstacle here.
Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins appears to be happy enough with the idea of Julio Jones to restructure his contract to make it happen.
Imagine, if you will, the idea of Kyler Murray throwing the ball to DeAndre Hopkins AND Julio Jones in 2021? Such a notion would make an already stacked NFC West even more formidable. We know that the Falcons, Jones’ current team, is in a salary cap quandary right now — per OverTheCap.com, they’ve got $410,351 in total cap space, and Matt Ryan’s restructured contract is quite the financial albatross in 2021 and 2022. So, there’s been all kinds of recent talk about the possibility of the Falcons doing the unthinkable and trading their franchise receiver. Jones signed a three-year, $66 million contract extension in 2019, and his 2021 cap hit is $23,050 million, so it isn’t hard to connect the dots.
As for the Cardinals, they currently have $13,538,841 in cap space, so any trade for Jones would require some housekeeping (not to mention the draft capital they’d have to give up to do it), but DeAndre Hopkins, the Cardinals’ current franchise receiver, seems to have at least part of the plan in mind.
An interesting construct, to be sure. Hopkins signed a two-year, $54.5 million extension last September, and his 2021 cap hit is $12.5 million. The creative math is always easier to crunch when your star players are on board with the notion, so were the Cardinals to inquire as to Jones’ availability and cost, at least Hopkins is all for it.
The Los Angeles Chargers are seen as favorites to trade for the seven-time Pro Bowler.
There’s a shortage in cap space in Atlanta, which is making it difficult for the Falcons to sign their 2021 draft class.
To free some up, the team can do so by trading away one of their top offensive weapons in wide receiver Julio Jones.
Where might he go if a trade was to occur?
Oddsmakers are favoring the Chargers as the team that Jones will start the 2021 season with if he’s traded at +500, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Colts are the only other team with the same odds to land Jones.
Why would Los Angeles trade for Jones?
Four reasons.
One, the team has the cap space to make it happen.
Two, going into the first season in SoFi Stadium with fans allowed, it would generate a ton of spark.
Three, with a high-powered offense already in place led by quarterback Justin Herbert, the seven-time Pro Bowler would add a dynamic element that would make it difficult for opposing defenses to stop.
Four, Jones’ presence gives the Bolts a stronger chance to finally dethrone the Chiefs for the division title of make a deep postseason run.
Would general manager Tom Telesco pull the trigger?
In the past, Telesco would not be aggressive to make a move like this. But given the fact that his seat has to be a little warm, that, and the four reasons above might make him consider it.
Would the Los Angeles Chargers be wise to trade for the seven-time Pro Bowler?
The Chargers’ wide receiver group is rather crowded heading into training camp. But might they look to add another one, possibly one of the best players at the position in the NFL to take the group to another level?
The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz reported that the Falcons are looking to trade Julio Jones. Atlanta doesn’t have enough cap space to sign their draft picks, and their only options to create space are to trade or restructure the contracts of Jones or defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.
Among the teams that Schultz that might be in on Jones is Los Angeles.
Think of 1) teams with enough cap space to absorb Jones’ $15.3 million base salary; 2) contending teams that believe he would put them over the top; 3) young teams looking to take the next step.
Among the teams that could fall into these categories: Ravens, 49ers, Patriots, Colts and Chargers.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, L.A. has $19.4 million in available cap space. Therefore, the team has the funds to pay some of Jones’ contract in a potential trade.
Jones, the seven-time Pro Bowler, is coming off a year in which he dealt with a hamstring injury. However, the year before that, he posted 1,394 receiving yards on 99 catches.
Would a trade be worth it? When healthy, he is a clear-cut dynamic weapon that would take the Chargers’ offense over the top, as he possesses the speed and explosiveness to give opposing secondaries problems.
What would the team have to give up? Schultz said a first-round draft pick “seems unlikely,” so if Los Angeles had to give up a second and a late-round selection to get Jones, it might be worth it.
An offense that would consist of Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler, Jared Cook and Jones, as well as the young bucks in Jalen Guyton, Tyron Johnson and Josh Palmer, would be a huge threat.
