The long-awaited Julio Jones trade finally came to fruition Sunday, with the Atlanta Falcons shipping the star receiver to the Tennessee Titans for a 2022 second-round draft pick and a Day 3 pick swap.
The New England Patriots had been rumored as a potential landing spot for Jones, but according to multiple reports Monday, they didn’t make a strong push for the seven-time Pro Bowler.
The MMQB’s Albert Breer and NBC Sports’ Peter King relayed similar insight in their respective Monday morning columns, with Breer writing the Patriots “never showed real interest to Atlanta in Jones” and King reporting New England “never had serious interest in committing $38 million to a 32-year-old receiver.”
Tennessee reportedly will take on the entirety of that contract, granting Atlanta some sorely needed salary-cap space. Jones, who ripped off six consecutive 1,300-yard seasons before injuries limited him to nine games in 2020, will carry a cap hit of $15.3 million this season.
Adding Jones would have given the Patriots a bona fide game-changer to headline their receiving corps. Their depth chart at the position currently consists of Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, N’Keal Harry, Gunner Olszewski, Marvin Hall, Isaiah Zuber, Kristian Wilkerson, Devin Smith and seventh-round rookie Tre Nixon.
Hall, who’s spent time with the Falcons, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns, signed with New England last week.
