Julio Jones has finally broken his silence on the Atlanta Falcons trade rumors revolving around him and it may have been somewhat of an accident.
On Monday, analyst Shannon Sharpe called Jones live on Undisputed with Skip Bayless and asked if the five-time All-Pro wideout wanted to go to the Dallas Cowboys or wanted to stay in Atlanta. (Quotes and video courtesy of NFL Update).
His response?
“Oh man, no, I am outta there man,” Jones said.
Sharpe then asked ‘ideally’ where he wanted to go and all Jones had to say was, “ideally I want to win.”
Sharpe followed up with “don’t go to Dallas, if you go there you ain’t winning in Dallas, Julio.”
Jones said, “Common listen, you already know I know.” He added, “I ain’t going to Dallas man, I never thought about going to Dallas.”
This is huge: Shannon Sharpe called Julio Jones live on @undisputed: Julio said he’s “out of there” when asked if he wants to stay in Atlanta. He also said he doesn’t want to go to the Cowboys. “I want to win.”
Holy cow. I don’t think he knew he was live.
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Julio Jones is Interested in Playing With Cam Newton
Jones made it clear that a trade is going to go down, but the remaining question is, “where?”
According to NBC Sports Boston’s Michael Holley, Jones is done with Matt Ryan and interested in playing with Cam Newton next season.
“You know who (Jones) really wants to play with? He wants to play with Cam Newton,” Holley reported on Boston Sports Tonight. Jones also reportedly thinks Falcons QB Matt Ryan has “lost a little on his deep ball.” The Julio trade rumors have started to heat up with Atlanta needing cap room to sign draft picks. The Patriots, who acquired Mohamed Sanu from the Falcons for a second-rounder in 2019 and have a history of trading for receivers, are one of the teams that could fit his $15.3 million base salary. The Chargers, 49ers, Raiders, and Colts have also been linked as possible landing spots for Jones.”
If Jones is traded post-June 1 the Falcons will save $15 million in salary-cap space. However, if they were to let him go before, then the franchise would take a $23 million cap hit.
Possible Trade Destinations for Jones
It appears the Falcons will be and already have been receiving plenty of calls from teams inquiring about Jones.
So far, the Falcons have been linked to a potential trade with the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, and Los Angeles Chargers, among other teams. The Tennessee Titans have also been considered a team to watch, although their cap situation may not allow them to strike a deal.
Obviously, what it’s going to come down to is the team with the best offer and the salary cap space to add Jones.
According to Sport’s Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Falcons are only looking for a second-round pick in exchange for Jones. He also noted that the club was looking for a first-round pick prior to the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jones’ health and age will play a big role in what the Falcons can get after he missed a chunk of the 2021 season due to a hamstring injury––still, Atlanta won’t be settling.
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Julio Jones Bluntly Puts Foot Down on Future With Falcons