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Atlanta Falcons won’t be giving Julio Jones a new contract

By Tre LyDay

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 26: Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons runs after a catch during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 26: Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons runs after a catch during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Julio Jones is presumably one of the three best wide receivers in the NFL, and he wants a raise. The Falcons, on the other hand, won’t be giving him one.

Julio Jones is probably one of the three best wide receivers in football no matter how you look at it. His combination of size, strength and speed makes him a difficult cover for even the best defensive backs in the NFL.

So, if you’re one of the best receivers in the league, and you want a raise you expect to get that raise, right? Well, in Atlanta things might not be going in Jones’ favor at the moment.

Jones is coming off of a season where he posted his fourth consecutive season with 1,400 yards receiving or more. That kind of production prompted Jones to ask the Falcons for a raise. Unfortunately for him it looks like they won’t be giving him a raise anytime soon. According to Jeff Schultz of The Athletic the Falcons have informed Julio Jones he won’t be receiving a new contract. 

It’s not all the Falcons’ fault, though. Jones is only in year two of a five-year contract, and the team has never re-worked a deal for anybody with more than a year left on their contract. The team let Jones know that they had not budgeted for a renegotiation, and couldn’t rework his deal right now.

They’re more focused on getting deals done with guys like Grady Jarrett, Jake Matthews and Ricardo Allen.

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Jones shouldn’t be really upset with the team seeing as he’s owed $10 million dollars this season, and as mentioned they didn’t budget for any kind of renegotiation. The Falcons still expect him to report to camp next week, but it wouldn’t be a shock if he either doesn’t show, or if we’re reliving the same story next season.

If Jones were to post his fifth consecutive season of 1,400 yards or more this coming season you would have to believe the Falcons would budget a raise for him even if he is owed $12.5 million in 2019.