As the Atlanta Falcons prepare to use the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday evening, the man they once traded five picks to have the chance to select - Julio Jones - may soon be leaving the franchise.
Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Peter King of NBC Sports and Albert Breer of MMQB all touched on the idea that Jones could be a candidate to be traded after the NFL Draft. You can bet that it wasn't by accident that all three brought up the possibility on the same morning.
Specifically, a trade of Jones would need to happen after June 1. If traded before June 1, Over The Cap estimates that the Falcons would have to incur $23.25 million in dead money this upcoming season. However, a trade after June 1 would leave the Falcons with just $7.33 million in dead cap space in 2021, a much more manageable amount.
Audacy Sports' John Healey looked at a few potential trade destinations for Jones earlier today, but what if a trade can't be worked out? Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk doesn't think the Falcons releasing two-time All-Pro is out of the question - far from it, really.
"I remember hearing that Julio Jones was kind of changing because he was spending time with a lot of really, really rich people. And if you're a football player, there's one way to get really, really rich, and that's to maximize your football earnings - period," Florio said Monday on PFT Live. "And that's why he drew the line in the sand and got the $22 million contract. And I think he's been kind of a headache behind the scenes for the Falcons the past few years.
"And I'm saying all this because No. 1, I'm not sure I've ever said if before - but I've known it for three years. No. 2, I'm gonna throw a dart here. I'm not gonna quite close my eyes. But I am gonna throw a dart. It may hit the board, it may not hit the board. Here's my prediction: if they don't trade him, they're gonna cut him June 2. That's my prediction."
The Falcons releasing Jones before June 1 is out of the question, as it would leave them with $40.55 million in dead cap money. A release after June 1 would cut that number down to $25.05 million, just a bit more than the $23.05 million that he'll count against the cap if he's on the roster.
Would the Falcons really pay an extra $2 million to not have Jones on the roster in 2021? The inclination here is that if they don't trade him, it would make the most sense just to hold onto him, rather than doing that. But there is a new regime in Atlanta with general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith, so who knows.
Now 32, Jones was limited to just nine games this past season. During those games, he averaged 85.7 receiving yards per game, a non-insignificant amount, but still his lowest total since 2012. Calvin Ridley has blossomed into a star, as he finished tied for fifth in the NFL with 1,374 receiving yards this past season. Russell Gage had 72 catches for 786 yards himself. If the Falcons use the No. 4 overall pick on Kyle Pitts - pairing him with Hayden Hurst - it becomes relatively easy to begin to imagine life after Jones.
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