It certainly seems Falcons two-time All-Pro wideout Julio Jones is on his way out of Atlanta.
The cap-strapped Falcons reportedly agreed to listen to trade offers for Jones this offseason, and Jones himself went on FOX Sports 1’s “Undisputed” on Monday and said that he’s “out” of Atlanta.
It’s caused many to think about where Jones, who doesn’t have a no-trade clause, could be traded to. Well, the New England Patriots reportedly are among teams kicking the tires on Jones and are even the betting favorite, according to the updated odds at DraftKings SportsBook.
NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky expressed his thoughts on the potential partnership, too. And Orlovsky, during an episode of ESPN’s “Get Up” on Monday, explained why he felt the Patriots would make the most sense.
“I think the AFC is a class of three teams right now. I think it’s the Buffalo Bills, I think it’s the Cleveland Browns and I think it’s the Kansas City Chiefs, obviously,” Orlovsky said. “And if the New England Patriots got Julio Jones, he would vault them into that group of now four football teams.”
Orlovsky continued to note just how drastic Jones, one of the league’s most physically imposing receivers, would help New England’s offense.
“New England is a great opportunity because we don’t talk about how dominant their offensive line is going to be. This offense goes, in one year, from really pedestrian last year to, if they got Julio Jones, they would be one of the hardest offenses in the NFL to stop,” Orlovsky said. “They’d have a dominant offensive line, a super creative play caller in (offensive coordinator) Josh McDaniels and then a 1-on-1 weapon on the outside that is almost impossible to cover in that situation.”
Reports surfaced Monday indicating the potential asking price for Jones will be a second-round pick. The Falcons reportedly were asking teams for a first-round pick before the 2021 NFL Draft, but that clearly has been met with resistance from other teams around the league.
But even with the asking price coming down, don’t expect the Falcons to move on from Jones before June 1. If the Falcons trade Jones before June 1, they’d actually lose $200,000 in cap space, as explained by NESN.com’s Doug Kyed. If they trade him after June 1, then his dead cap gets spread out, and the Falcons save $15.3 million in space.
