Julio Jones trade rumors are heating up and these 6 teams are best-equipped to make a deal
By John Buhler
Julio Jones trade rumors are heating up and these six teams are in the best position to make a trade for the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver.
There is a real possibility the Atlanta Falcons trade star wide receiver Julio Jones this summer.
Jones is already the greatest player in franchise history, but he is on the wrong side of 30 and is coming off a season where he missed seven games. Atlanta will be better than its 4-12 record from a year ago, but this team is not even remotely close to contending for a Super Bowl. According to Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, these six teams make the most sense for a Jones trade.
If the Falcons trade Jones after June 1, they can reduce their dead cap hit by about $15 million from $23 million to $7 million.
Cap space, overall contention status and needing one piece to get over the top are all factors here.
Julio Jones trade rumors: 6 NFL teams he could be dealt this summer
Scouting Report. NFC. West. San Francisco 49ers. 42. Pick Analysis. 6. player
Reuniting with Kyle Shanahan could help get 49ers back to the Super Bowl
The only NFC team Schultz listed was the San Francisco 49ers. Trading away the best player in franchise history is not going to go over well in Atlanta, especially to an NFC team led by your former offensive coordinator who didn’t believe in running the football up big in Super Bowl 51. However, reuniting Jones in Kyle Shanahan’s offense will make San Francisco an interesting watch.
This is a critical year for the 49ers. It will prove if the magical 2019 NFL season was an anomaly or not. If the 49ers can play up to their potential, they can win the NFC for the second time in three years and maybe win their first Super Bowl since Steve Young’s prime in 1994. However, the 49ers play in a brutal division and already have too many star players who get hurt all the time anyway.
player. 13. Pick Analysis. West. Los Angeles Chargers. AFC. 5. Scouting Report
Jones will help bring the best out of young star quarterback Justin Herbert
Entering the heart of the offseason, one could argue for the Los Angeles Chargers to be a Wild Card team in the AFC. The Bolts seem to have the real deal at quarterback in Justin Herbert, and have one of the most complete rosters in the entire league. However, the Chargers are one of the franchises in the league as perpetually snakebitten as the Dirty Birds and should not be trusted.
Even if adding Jones does make the Chargers’ receiving corps more complete, he is not helping Los Angeles win the AFC West in 2021. The hope is he can be the dominant receiver to help Herbert ascend to superstardom in year two out of Oregon. What also is important is we have no earthly idea if defensive-minded, first-year head coach Brandon Staley will be the least bit good for them.