Atlanta Falcons are Taking Trade Calls on All-Pro WR Julio Jones
The Falcons are heading towards cap hell as they have invested most of it in a handful of their star players, one of which being star WR Julio Jones. Jones is on the books for about $37 million dollars for the next three years and it seems that the rumors are true that the Falcons are looking to sell. After seeing the recent trades of other high-level WRs like DeAndre Hopkins and Stefon Diggs, this trade seems very likely and these are my favorite candidates:
New England Patriots
With the retirement of fan-favorite WR Julian Edelman, the Patriots are hurting for true wide receivers. The Patriots are not ones to shy away from trying to entice superstars to come around for a second wind in Foxborough. A true deep threat will help the Pats alongside Jakobi Meyers as another deep threat can help Cam Newton stretch the field rather than him dumping off to his new TE-tandem of Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. I believe that New England would be willing to give up as much as a 2nd and two other late-round picks a la the infamous Hopkins trade. Julio is not getting younger and his stats have been slowly declining over the past few years. However, I feel as though the Falcons reject my proposal as they recently fleeced New England in a trade for an over-the-hill Mo Sanu.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens NEED A PLAYMAKER! Since coming to the league in 2017, former MVP Lamar Jackson has not had any help in the passing game. The Ravens were not afraid to trade top-tier T Orlando Brown Jr. to their biggest conference rival/obstacle and they should not be afraid to trade for the best WR in the league over the past five years. If I am the GM of Baltimore I am sending over all the profits from the Brown trade to Atlanta in exchange for the answer to our offensive woes. Julio Jones in Baltimore is my favorite scenario by far and I hope to at least see an attempt.
Chicago Bears
This one is not as fun because it is the Bears, but with Allen Robinson wanting out badly they will need a backup plan at WR1. Whichever strange QB they have behind center in 2021 is going to need BIG help if the Bears want to be the good kind of bad news next season. I believe the Bears should go as high as a 2022 1st if they want to bank on the belief that Jones will make them a real playoff team in the immediate future. The Bears have done this once with the big swing on trading for OLB Khalil Mack years ago which turned them into a legitimate threat in the NFC and were a double doink away from a playoff victory.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Why not? The Jags have a bounty of draft capital and an incoming superstar QB. What could be a better draft day present than an All-Pro WR like Jones. The Jaguars will be looking to make a statement with Urban Meyer, Trevor Lawrence, and Julio Jones in 2021. The once laughing stock of the NFL would immediately become a legitimate powerhouse in the NFL in just one season, a true worst-to-first. This is an interesting scenario I came across while writing this and although I am still not comfortable with the idea of the Jags being good, I don't hate this hypothetical.
San Francisco 49ers
The rich get richer in this scenario, a season removed from a Super Bowl appearance, the Niners find themselves trading up to #3 Overall to find a replacement for Jimmy G on their Super Bowl-ready roster. Why not upgrade elsewhere as well? The Niner's problems in past seasons have been centered around injuries and lack of a passing game outside of TE George Kittle. San Francisco drafted WR Brandon Aiyuk in the first round last year and nor he or Deebo Samuel are looking like true number one options for the Niners. Once a hot trade destination for Antonio Brown, the Niners could go back to fighting with the NFC big dogs for another shot at a Lombardi.
by Brandon McCann
Comments
Post a Comment