Julio Jones reportedly could be traded.
Julio Jones reportedly wants to play with Cam Newton.
The Patriots still need a true No. 1 receiver and have reportedly held “internal discussions” about trading for Jones.
It's all Julio Jones talk all the time these days in Patriot Nation.
Jones to New England, which as the cap flexibility to add the pricey, 32-year-old All-Pro pass catcher, seems to make perfect sense. Such a trade would be the cherry on the sundae of the Patriots aggressive offseason roster rebuild after missing the postseason for the first time since 2008.
But is Jones-to-New England really the perfect fit that everyone seems to be making it out to be?
“I don’t doubt for one second that they’ve talked about it. I mean they are doing their due diligence,” Guregian told WEEI. “My only question is, does he really fit with their offense especially if Cam Newton is the quarterback? I would take Julio Jones any day of the week, even at 32 coming off a hamstring injury. But, he’s…the Patriots don’t have a downfield offense.
They have a dink-and-dunk offense. And even more so with two tight ends. Yes, having a speed guy on the outside helps open things up. They have [Nelson] Agholor. Obviously Julio Jones would be a huge upgrade. But if you have a talent like Julio Jones, you don’t want him to be a decoy. You want to get him the ball. And I just think with Cam Newton…maybe if it was MVP Cam Newton, sure, bring him on. But I’m not sure they have MVP Cam Newton.”
Of course there is no guarantee that Newton will be New England’s starting quarterback. The Patriots did after all invest the No. 15 overall pick on Mac Jones, who should at least push Newton in camp competition this summer.
If the rookie were to win the job, might he make more sense working with Julio Jones?
“Look what Mac Jones had at Alabama. He can get the ball to great receivers,” Guregian said. “There is no question about that. People talk about his arm strength. His arm is fine. And if you give him a Julio Jones, Mac Jones will utilize a Julio Jones. It’s just, again, if Cam’s the guy, you just have to question whether that’s worth it. So, there are a couple things at work here as to who may be the starting quarterback.”
Finally, there is the debate as to whether Bill Belichick would continue to spend like crazy, and spend $15 million for an aging wide receiver.
“The Patriots, of all the teams, do have some wiggle room with their cap space. They can probably afford Julio Jones,” Guregian said. “But here’s where my thinking comes into play, if they weren’t willing to make it work with Jimmy Garoppolo, who Belichick absolutely loves and adores and worships, if they weren’t able to strike a deal with him are they going to bring on this elite receiver who makes a ton of money? Again, I’m just trying to connect some dots here.”
