Patriots Remain In The Mix For WR Jones; Will The Falcons Pull The Trigger On Such a Move?

There's been plenty of back and forth about whether the Atlanta Falcons are truly ready to move on from wide receiver Julio Jones.

Jones wrapped up his 10th season with Atlanta back in February, and since then, there's been talk that the team wants to trade him and get a package in return.

Last season, Jones pulled in 51 passes for 771 yards and three scores. The receiver led the NFL in both catches and yards in 2015, as he caught 136 passes for 1,871 yards with eight touchdowns that year.

In his 10 seasons in the pros, Jones has been about as good as any pass catcher in the league. It's only now that the dreaded "age" chatter has started to enter the fray now that he's 32 years old.

One team to keep an eye on is the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick and the Patriots offense, which struggled mightily last season, have been eyeing Jones, and could make an offer for him prior to the start of the 2021 season.

"I've talked to a few teams who are at least wondering if the New England Patriots get involved here, because they've had an aggressive offseason in free agency with all of those signings they made," Jeremy Fowler of ESPN said Sunday morning.

"They have $16.2 million in cap space to take on a bloated salary like Julio's. And Jones and quarterback Cam Newton go way back from those Auburn-Alabama rivalry Iron Bowl days, and those days in the NFC South together. They're both around the same age, so at the very least, they are friendly."

GM Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith would have to authorize a trade for Jones, and such move would likely not be very popular with the Falcons fan base.

"A source in Atlanta told me, 'Look, we are still in the listening phase right now. We are not initiating talks, and there's still a chance Jones is in a Falcons uniform next year,'" Fowler said Sunday on ESPN.

"But the Patriots are probably one of several teams to watch here."

The Falcons can save $15.3 million in cap space by trading Jones after June 1st, which is just over a week away.



















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Matt has been a part of the Cleveland Sports landscape working in the media since 1994 when he graduated from broadcasting school. His coverage beats include the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Cavaliers. He's written three books, and won the "2020 AP Sports Stringer Lifetime Service Award."