Though the Atlanta Falcons can finally trade Julio Jones with June 1 in the past, they are still biding their time. There appears to have been little movement regarding a trade of their best player. A team to keep an eye on is the Las Vegas Raiders. They could use an elite wide receiver and could be an appealing trade partner for Atlanta considering they’re in a different conference.
While players from other teams have launched their recruiting efforts for Jones, the Raiders players have stayed quiet. That was until defensive lineman Darius Philon told the wide receiver to “Come to #RaiderNation.”
It’s interesting to see so many players come out and recruit Jones. He’s not a free agent so the decision isn’t necessarily up to him. The Falcons will trade him to the team that offers the best deal. That said, Philon is new to the team this season so it’s good to see him embracing the silver and black.
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Will Raiders Make a Run at Jones?
There were previous rumors linked the Raiders to Jones but they haven’t been mentioned as one of the teams that have reached out to the Falcons. That doesn’t mean they haven’t but there hasn’t been anything concrete linking Las Vegas to the star wide receiver. The team has shown a willingness to trade for a star wide receiver in the past but that didn’t really work out. It’s easy to understand why the Raiders would be hesitant.
That said, Jones is not Antonio Brown and he could be a real difference-maker for the team. The Raiders have a good offense. Adding Jones would potentially make it a great offense. The team needs to take that into consideration before they dismiss the idea of cutting a deal with the Falcons. In the end, the Raiders probably won’t make the deal. General manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden haven’t shown a willingness to make a big trade since the Brown debacle. Plus, the team appears happy with their young wide receivers.
Raiders Seem Happy With Henry Ruggs
Last year, the Raiders used a first-round pick to land Henry Ruggs in hopes that he’d be a star wide receiver. His rookie year was disappointing, to say the least. He only caught 26 passes in 13 games and wasn’t a consistent target for Derek Carr.
This year could be different. Ruggs has been putting in a lot of work and will have a full offseason to learn Gruden’s playbook. Time will tell if he’ll be a star, but there’s no doubt he’ll be more effective in 2021. How the Raiders feel about him could be the deciding factor in a possible Jones trade. If they truly believe they have a 22-year-old future superstar already on their roster, then they don’t need to give up draft picks. However, if Ruggs continues to struggle, the Raiders’ offense could be in trouble. Carr hasn’t had the best wide receivers to work with in recent years and the offense is going to have a pretty low ceiling if the wide receivers continue to underwhelm.
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Raiders Player Recruits 7-Time Pro Bowler to Team