Julio Jones Trade Could Come This Week

Because of salary-cap considerations, it was always unlikely that the Falcons would move Julio Jones before June 1. However, a trade on or after that date and Atlanta would save his $15.3 million salary for 2021, only suffering a $7.75 million dead cap hit for his prorated signing bonus. Make the trade before June 1, and the two amounts would be combined into a dead cap hit of $23.25 million.

The calendar is now favorable to Atlanta, and the trade talks can begin in earnest. And they have, with even more teams reportedly entering into the sweepstakes for the 32-year-old All-Pro.

Seahawks and Russell Wilson Interested

The newest team to express interest in trading for Jones is Seattle. The Falcons are said to want to trade him out of the NFC, but so that is a mark against the Seahawks. But reportedly, Russell Wilson has reached out to Jones about joining him in the Pacific Northwest. Even though the Falcons can trade him to whichever team they like, all signs point to them trying to accommodate the best player in franchise history.

A trade to Seattle would be interesting on a number of levels. One, the Seahawks already have D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Adding Jones to the mix would make the Seattle receiving corps second to none. Also, an unhappy Russell Wilson who spent much of the offseason under a cloud of trade rumors would suddenly be much happier.

If the trade were to happen, then all eyes would fall on head coach Pete Carroll and new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. With Julio Jones on the roster, surely Carroll would have to give up his love of the run, right?

Other Favorites to Land Jones

The truth is that anyone telling you that they know where Jones will end up is not telling you the truth.

Some reports say that New England is the favorite because of the relationship between Jones and Cam Newton. The word is that Jones wants to play with Cam and Bill Belichick, and the feeling in Foxboro is mutual. But with Cam under center, the offense threw a total of eight touchdown passes in 15 games, and rookie Mac Jones might replace him during the season.

The Titans are reportedly also a favorite. They’re just two years removed from the AFC Championship Game, so they meet Jones’ desire to go to a winning team. They also have wide receiver A.J. Brown openly lobbying for Jones to come to Nashville. And maybe at 32, he is ready to be less of a focal point of the offense since, in Tennessee, the offense clearly runs through Derrick Henry, and that is unlikely to change.

Other teams said to be in the mix include the Rams, who have had talks with Atlanta. The 49ers have been rumored from the start. The Ravens are said to be interested as well. There is also some talk about the Eagles getting involved and their abundance of draft capital that would allow them to offer an attractive package to the Falcons.

We might know exactly which team it will be as soon as Tuesday. It remains to be seen how the move will affect the Falcons’ odds. Betting markets supported the team when their regular-season win totals opened at 7½, taking enough action to push it to the current number of eight wins juiced to the under.

2022 NFL Salary Cap

Most teams are short on cap space at this stage of the offseason after having signed their rookie draft picks. But with some creative accounting and their own June 1 transactions, almost anyone could fit Jones into their salary structure for 2021, even with this season’s decreased cap.

That will not be an issue for 2022, which includes $11.513 million for Jones, or 2023 when he’s due the same amount. The NFL and the NFLPA have agreed to an increased salary cap for 2022 that could go as high as $208.2 million, nearly $26 million more than the $182.5 million cap set for this season.

If revenues in 2022 outpace that $208 million number, then the surplus would go to paying back the $17 million in player benefits that were canceled last season due to COVID-19.

The NFL is expecting all 32 teams to play with full stadiums in 2021 and announced that more than 90% of season tickets had been renewed, which is higher than in previous seasons.