Falcons Could Consider Trading Julio Jones; Patriots A Logical Landing Spot
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's officially NFL Draft week (finally). Yet before the stars of tomorrow get their names called on national TV, some news regarding a superstar or two may come first. Superstars like Julio Jones, for example.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Falcons have received calls on the All-Pro receiver. And with their cap situation, a deal after June 1 could take place.
The #Falcons have received calls from teams inquiring about possible trades for All-Pro WR Julio Jones, sources say. A trade could not happen for cap reasons before June 1, but teams know Atlanta's brutal cap situation and are calling. A deal won't happen now, but later? Maybe.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 26, 2021
NBC Sports' Peter King also laid out a trade scenario for the Falcons. He noted that "the Falcons don't really want to trade Julio Jones," but his $23.05 million cap number in 2021 and $19.263 million cap number in 2022 is significant enough that he could be on the move.
As it relates to New England, King speculated that the Patriots would be among the teams interested.
King figured that a second-round pick could land Jones for a team. Albert Breer of SI also discussed a theoretical Jones trade and said it might take a first-round pick. (King also said "I am not reporting the Falcons will trade Jones, or will probably trade Jones. I am saying it would not surprise me if it happened." Yet the fact that he, Rapoport, and Breer all laid out post-June 1 trade scenarios indicates that such discussions appear to be very real.)
Jones, 32, is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career, as he missed seven games in 2020. He caught 51 passes for 771 yards and three touchdowns, with the Falcons going just 3-6 when he did play. (The Falcons were 1-6 in their other seven games.) In his career, he's caught 848 passes for 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns, becoming the Falcons' all-time franchise leader in receptions and receiving yards, while sitting just three touchdowns behind Roddy White for the lead in that category. Jones has earned two First Team All-Pro spots, three Second Team All-Pro spots, and seven Pro Bowl nods, while also being named to the 2010s All-Decade Team.