Patriots fans -- and players -- obviously would love Julio Jones to land in New England, but would that really be the best outcome for the future Hall of Famer?
Brandon Marshall, for one, believes Jones, if he can, should force a trade to a team other than the Patriots. The former NFL receiver discussed the ongoing trade drama hours after Jones, appearing on "Undisputed," confirmed he wants to leave the Atlanta Falcons.
"As a wide receiver, especially a veteran wide receiver, you gotta look for the perfect spot," Marshall said during Monday's "First Things First" episode. " ... For Julio Jones, why would you want to go to a situation where you guys are running it, play after play, if it's Cam Newton? ... There's times last year where you guys only had 77 yards passing or 80 yards passing. Hell, Julio Jones for the most part of his career is averaging 120 yards a game. So, that's not a great fit for him. And then, if it's not Cam Newton ... now you have a rookie quarterback in there and you have to go through that maturation process.
" ... If I'm Julio Jones, this is not a place where I'd want to go or entertain. ... I really like the San Francisco 49ers. I don't think they'll make a move, but I love that type of offense for Julio Jones."
Marshall added: "The Patriots is not a great landing spot for Julio."
Fair enough.
Marshall's conjecture didn't come out of nowhere. Multiple reports over the weekend indicated the Patriots indeed have discussed the possibility of trading for Jones. Whether Bill Belichick would be willing to pay Atlanta's reported asking price remains to be seen.
