Julio Jones trade rumors are heating up: Where might he go?
Rumors are once again heating up that Julio Jones could soon be flying the nest.
Last month, initial reports surfaced that the Atlanta Falcons could trade away their star wide receiver this offseason.
On Friday, a new report emerged that the Falcons are actively trying to trade Jones and have been since Atlanta’s head coach and general manager were hired earlier this year. Per The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz, the best fit would be a young, contending team with plenty of cap space.
"The Falcons would like to trade Julio Jones," Schultz wrote. "That doesn’t mean some members of the organization don’t believe the future Hall of Famer can still play, when healthy. But Jones’ availability on the trade market has been clear almost from the time new general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Arthur Smith landed in Atlanta and realized the extent of the team’s salary-cap problems."
The move is largely cap-oriented, as the Falcons desperately need to clear cap space ($7 million to $8 million at minimum) to sign their 2021 draft class, which includes No. 4 overall pick Kyle Pitts.
Currently, the Falcons have roughly $2.4 million in cap space, a figure that would be greatly impacted by a cap clearance of $15.3 million this year if Jones were to be traded.
In 2019, Jones signed a three-year deal with the Falcons worth $66 million, $64 million of it guaranteed. His contract is worth $15.3 million in 2021 and $11.5 million in both 2022 and '23.
Jones has been one of the NFL's best wide receivers since he was drafted by the Falcons sixth overall in 2011, and his seven Pro Bowl selections are the most ever by a Falcons player.
Since entering the league, Julio ranks first in the NFL in receiving yards (12,896), second in receptions (848), second in targets (1,320) and tied for 10th in receiving touchdowns (60).
In his 10-year career, the 32-year-old Jones is the Falcons’ career leader in receptions and receiving yards, and his 95.5 yards per game average is the best in NFL history.
Jones is the only player in NFL history to average 100-plus receiving yards per game in four consecutive seasons (2013-16). His 58 regular-season games with 100-plus receiving yards are fourth-most in NFL history, behind the tallies of all-time greats Jerry Rice (76), Randy Moss (64) and Marvin Harrison (59).
In 2019, Jones became the fastest receiver to record 12,000 career yards, hitting that mark in 125 games to surpass Rice (142 games). In 2020, Jones became the second-fastest and 27th player in NFL history to record 800 career receptions (127 games) behind Antonio Brown (126 games).
Football fans aren’t the only ones excited about the possibility of Jones joining their teams this season. NFL stars such as Derrick Henry, Taylor Lewan, DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Brown are also getting in on the hype.
Brown said he'd give up his jersey number if Jones were to join the Titans, while Hopkins teased about restructuring his contract with the Arizona Cardinals to make room for the fellow star receiver.
With many landing spots swirling recently, let’s take a look at the most likely possibilities.
After reportedly missing out on then-free agents JuJu Smith-Schuster and T.Y. Hilton, both of whom re-signed with their previous teams, in the offseason, the Ravens could still be searching for a clear-cut No. 1 receiver.
Their current go-to, Marquise Brown, struggled last season, prompting the Ravens to pick up Rashod Bateman with the 27th pick in the 2021 draft and former Oklahoma State receiver Tylan Wallace in the fourth round.
The return of Brown, two new rookie receivers and the addition of Jones to the lineup could certainly be the surge the Baltimore offense needs to move toward a pass-heavy approach.
The 49ers are reportedly the only NFC team that could be a trade destination for Jones. They are without first-round picks in either of the next two drafts, so any deal for Jones would have to start with a second-round pick in 2022.
San Francisco is in a good spot to withstand the kind of cap hit acquiring Jones would bring, and head coach Kyle Shanahan is familiar with the superstar talent, as pointed out by six-time Pro Bowler Joe Staley, who spent a decade as an offensive tackle for the 49ers.
Jones earned two First-Team All-Pro nods in Atlanta while Shanahan was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2015 and '16.
The Patriots spent more than $172 million on the first day of free agency and signed QB Cam Newton to a one-year contract extension worth up to $14 million earlier this year. But if you think the Pats are out of cash, you’re wrong.
New England is projected to have $69 million in cap space for 2021. The Pats picked up wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor in the offseason and still need to sign Mac Jones to his projected four-year deal worth upward of $15.5 million, according to Spotrac.
The No. 15 overall pick will have a $2.8 million cap hit in 2021, but after missing out on the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, head coach Bill Belichick could also be eyeing the Falcons’ wideout.
Could Jones be headed to Indy? Not unless the Falcons "get something legit" in upcoming drafts in return.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport broke down what it would take for things to play out in the Colts’ favor on "The Pat McAfee Show."
"[Jones] is obviously a great receiver who, when he plays, is incredible," Rapoport said. "He’s older. He’s got an incredibly awful contract. I think [the Colts] are a team that, you know, they don’t need to rebuild … so I would say, my understanding of this is they’re open to it. It would have to be [for] a lot … if he was going to be traded."
The wide receiver room in L.A. is a bit crowded, with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Jalen Guyton, Tyron Johnson and Josh Palmer, but with $19.4 million in available cap space for 2021, the Chargers could afford Jones' contract.
With Corey Davis headed to the Jets, the Titans are down a receiver from last season, but they would need to improve their salary-cap situation to acquire Jones, who is due roughly $38 million over the next three seasons.
According to Schultz, "one league source said the Titans also may show interest, but they also are close to the cap ceiling."
Earlier this month, Titans general manager Jon Robinson was reportedly working on contract restructures for the team’s higher-priced players in order to free up space for free-agent signings and/or trades.
Could the Titans make enough room to fit Jones?
Only time will tell, but wherever and until the NFL superstar lands, the sports world will be watching.
For more up-to-date news on all things NFL, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!