Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
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Julio Jones Trade looks more Likely

The 2021 Atlanta Falcons have been described as being in “salary cap hell.” It may be up to Julio Jones to bail the Falcons out again.

Julio Jones heroics have saved the Atlanta Falcons time and time again through his ten year career. He is the Falcons’ all-time leader in receptions (848) and yards (12,896). 

It may be up to Jones to rescue the Falcons again, this time by leaving.

According to NFLPA documents, the Falcons are $900K, under the salary cap, and they’ll need to be $12M under just to sign their draft class that they choose this week.

Moving Julio Jones after June 1st of this year is a big chunk of that money. If he is traded after June 1, the Falcons will save $7.5M on the salary cap.

The options are limited. As much as Julio Jones is beloved in Atlanta, the question is, “would you rather have either players from the 2021 NFL Draft, or Julio Jones?”

Sentiment may say one thing, but if a team were to offer their entire draft for Julio, I’d help him pack.

The Atlanta Falcons aren’t a team on the precipice of a championship. Jones is so respected in Atlanta, the vast majority of fans would like to see him playing in another Super Bowl before he leaves. 

When looking at the numbers, it’s a move that is starting to look more and more likely.

Scott Kennedy
Scott Kennedy is an Atlanta native and 20 year media veteran including time as Director of Scouting at Scout.com, Managing Editor at 247Sports, VP Content Operations at Sports Illustrated and more. Scott has appeared as a recruiting and NFL Draft analyst on dozens of media including ESPN, NFL Network, USA Today, NY Times, and more.
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