Nov 22, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) is tackled by New Orleans Saints free safety Marcus Williams (43) and outside linebacker Demario Davis (56) and cornerback Patrick Robinson (21) during the first quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Julio Jones officially wants out of Atlanta. Things are about to get spicy.
Julio Jones wants out of Atlanta. He told Shannon Sharpe live on air.
More: https://t.co/ksZhX5WVJk pic.twitter.com/8cVqsTSZOR
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 24, 2021
It’s officially silly season in the NFL as we head towards the Draft, which is now just three days away. There’s plenty of rumors to keep track of, from what the 49ers will do at No. 3, to the possibility of the Patriots moving up for a QB. As we all sift through the draft stuff, Peter King dropped a bomb in his column this morning that the Falcons, who own the fourth pick, could potentially trade Julio Jones around the draft.
From NFL Now: The #Falcons have been receiving calls on All-Pro WR Julio Jones, and while it's somewhat unlikely they get the value they would want, it's not impossible. A look at how it would work... pic.twitter.com/kZArO6t578
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 26, 2021
This would be a huge shakeup for the Falcons, who are facing major salary cap issues going forward. Trading away Jones wouldn’t solve every financial issue facing the team, but if a deal is worked out and then executed after June 1, it would give them some flexibility going forward. According to Adam Schefter, trading him after June 1 would save the team $15 million in cap space.
In regards to @peter_king's report from last night about Atlanta listening on Julio Jones, and why it would be a post June 1 move:
*If the Falcons trade him after June 1, they save $15 million against the cap.
*If the Falcons trade him before June 1, it would be a $23M cap hit.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 26, 2021
So, with Julio Jones apparently now on the block going into the draft, who might be interested in trading for him? Well, he’s still very good, so the list of teams should be long. But who could actually make a deal? We picked out five teams that should be all over this going into the NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders
This is a no-brainer. Whenever a premiere WR hits the trade market, the Raiders are always all over it. While Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have been shaky at best in building the Raiders of late, we know that they’ll always be aggressive and try and make a big move. That’s just the way the Raiders are. Would they be willing to trade a 2022 1st round pick to the Falcons? That might be what it takes to get a deal done.
Green Bay Packers
Let’s get Aaron Rodgers some help. As we all know, Aaron Rodgers would love some help. He’s beggging the Packers for it. While Rodgers own situation in Green Bay is shaky, would he really want to still leave if they had Davante Adams and Julio Jones? This would be a massive help for the Packers and that offense. That would be quite the offensive unit in Green Bay and would maybe keep everyone happy for the time being.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have long been looking for a true No. 1 WR to put alongside Lamar Jackson. While the Ravens offense isn’t really setup to be pass-heavy, the addition of Julio Jones would make them even more of a threat, especially with Jackson’s playmaking ability. It is interesting that the Ravens just picked up another first-round pick last week in the Orlando Brown trade. Could they have a big move up their sleeves?
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins have so much draft capital going forward that you have to wonder if they’d sort of go all-in on a move like this. They need to build around Tua, and while all indications are they’ll be drafting a WR with the No. 6 pick, being able to add Julio Jones to the mix would make them an extremely dangerous team.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots spent more money than anybody and free agency this year, and while it came as a surprise to some, it was clear that Bill Belichick and company wanted to improve the team. We don’t know what they’re going to do in the draft, but with that aggressiveness they’ve shown so far this offseason, how could you not list them as a potential suitor here?