When the Atlanta Falcons and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett failed to reach a long-term agreement, the team was forced to slap the interior lineman with the franchise tag.
Not only does this massively affect Jarrett this season and his negotiation stance moving forward, many other dominoes may have to fall as the Falcons search for ways to clear cap space for 2019. Will more cuts have to be made? The answer is probably yes, but we'll wait to see on that one.
What abot future signings? A report from ESPN Tuesday linked linebacker Deion Jones with negotiations for a long-term contract with Atlanta. From that, it's easy to figure that general manager Thomas Dimitroff has a number of plans of attack he's working.
Former sports agent and cap expert Joel Corry of CBS Sports.com joined The Morning Show Wednesday and got hit with the following question: Who gets signed first to an extension – Julio Jones or Grady Jarrett? As well as Deion Jones reportedly in talks, we know that Julio Jones' situation will likely be adressed too.
“If some of the demands I’ve heard are true – Aaron Donald-type money – it’ll probably be Julio," said Corry. "Jarrett has the same agent as Aaron Donald, but he’s not Aaron… no one is."
Corry expanded on a new deal for Julio Jones.
“That’s why you want to do it sooner rather than later, but Jimmy Sexton’s no fool, so he’ll probably wait for that deal to get done," said Corry. "Right now, the standard is $18M a year because of Odell Beckham's (contract). Given Julio’s a little older, I’m not sure if he’ll get to the guarantee, but he may end up setting the standard in average salary. If you look at the five years, it may not look as outlandish."
