Getty Julio Jones celebrating on the field with Atlanta.
It doesn’t seem long before Julio Jones is gone from the Atlanta Falcons, so the question now becomes what level of compensation does the team get for the star wideout and what teams are interested in a deal.
Always needing wide receivers, it’s possible the Baltimore Ravens fit into the interested category, and that may only be more of the case after hearing what the Falcons may have to take in order to deal Jones away.
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According to Albert Breer, the Falcons could be willing to take a second-round selection for Jones, which would be well off from what their original asking price around the draft was rumored to be.
Jones himself could want out, something he claimed on live television during an episode of Undisputed on Monday, when the wideout claimed he is not going back to Atlanta when pressed by Shannon Sharpe.
So would the Ravens make a move for Jones? If the asking price was a first-round pick, the answer could very well be a quick no. If the price was a second-round pick, however, there’s a good chance that the Ravens could be enticed into the mix. That would be a fair price for a team to pay in order to add a player to the mix who has Jones’ abilities.
The Ravens could use one more wideout to help take the top off the defense, so if Jones could be had for this rumored price, the Ravens would be foolish not to make the move for their offense.
Jones’ Career Stats
Adding Jones to the mix would undoubtably be the power move Baltimore had in mind. In terms of a decorated option at the position, there’s been few better through the years than Jones. At 32, he is beginning to age a bit but there has been massive production through the years for the Falcons to rely on. Jones has put up 12,896 receiving yards in his career to go with 60 touchdowns. More than that, he has been a seven-time Pro Bowl player, a two-time first-team All-Pro, a two-time leader in NFL receiving yards and has played in the Super Bowl. It feels like forever ago that Jones was the sixth pick in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Alabama, and he has been a model of consistency during his time in the league.
Jones Would Fit Ravens for Lower Cost
So what’s next for the Ravens the rest of the offseason? They added a few players in the draft in Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace, but they could still need a wideout to help the offense, and that’s true even after the team has beefed up their offensive line as well as the tight end spot and kept some of their defensive stars in-house. Baltimore signed Sammy Watkins, but one more elite pass catcher could be a great move for the team to help come in and expand the offense for Lamar Jackson and company. The team hasn’t been able to get elite play from anyone at the wideout spot the last few years, so the pressure is on to add as many weapons as possible this offseason. Jones would be a good move with this in mind.
While the Ravens have added some younger names, their contention window seems to be immediate with Jackson at quarterback. Knowing this, why would the team not think about making a big move with Jones and adding a legit stud deep threat to the mix? That is especially true if the Ravens could grab Jones without giving up a high draft selection.
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