Falcons taking calls on Julio Jones
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcons?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Falcons</a> have received calls from teams inquiring about possible trades for All-Pro WR Julio Jones, sources say. A trade could not happen for cap reasons before June 1, but teams know Atlanta’s brutal cap situation and are calling. A deal won’t happen now, but later? Maybe.</p>&mdash; Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1386643899859578881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">From NFL Now: The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcons?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Falcons</a> have been receiving calls on All-Pro WR Julio Jones, and while it&#39;s somewhat unlikely they get the value they would want, it&#39;s not impossible. A look at how it would work... <a href="https://t.co/kZArO6t578">pic.twitter.com/kZArO6t578</a></p>&mdash; Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1386740597604724742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Falcons?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Falcons</a> have been listening to trade offers for star WR Julio Jones, per <a href="https://twitter.com/peter_king?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@peter_king</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlbertBreer</a>. Atlanta has one of the worst cap situations in the league and trading Julio effective after June 1st would create $15M in cap space and save the big dead cap hit for 2022.</p>&mdash; NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1386642052549644288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

From Peter King:

Maybe a reverse Tony G trade?

I’d imagine they would prefer to send him to the AFC. I wonder what compensation would look like for him.

Offer one of our seconds? My goodness. Imagine if we added 2 all pros with our first two picks....geeeeezzzzzz

Broke dick.

At some point we have to worry about the cap. I realize Brat Wurst is a wizard and all that, but there has to be a limit to his powers.

We do have 2nds...but would he restructure to be here?

Julio Jones's entire career has been wasted by Atlanta

As a 1 or maybe 2 year rental though....we'd be tough to beat.

This post pulled his ****ing hamstring.

Hard to say what the compensation would be on this one.

He’s 32 and missed time last year due to injury. Prior to that though, he only missed 4 games over the previous 6 seasons.

Obviously, he’s one of the best ever. He’s a freak athlete, so as he declines with age he’ll still be very athletic.

I think Veach should make an offer for whatever he thinks Julio is worth at this age, and see what happens. I wouldn’t break the bank for him though. Julio is a luxury, but we’ll be fine with a WR in the draft since we have Kelce and Hill.

That’s where I’m at. I trust Veach regardless.

If we do it, I’d be fine with giving up either 58 or 63 this year and keeping our picks for next year.

If he could stay healthy we’d be deadly.

While I wouldn't be against it, I would only do it if we don't give up too much and Jones is willing to play for less. He's not the same player he was when he was 27 nor should we pay him like he is.

Jones, Reek and Travis would have a case of being the best pass catching trio EVER to play together in this league surely??? Would be totally unfair :D . Next year there's a chance we could get an extra 3rd if EB finally gets hired so giving up a second or third could be easy for Veach tbh.

Wouldn't involve any picks this year since the Falcons can't actually trade him until after June 1st.

Wonder if teams could pull off an nba style trade where they draft a player the other team wants and then make the trade after.

Bring him 2 kc!!!

Honestly, I'd be willing 2 pay quite a bit.

2nd + Hardman for sure, what else?

Orlando Brown + Julio Jones is the best potential offseason I can imagine lol

Wait until they cut him.

Then if you want to bring him in do it.

I'm sure as hell not trading them Hardman. I know he has not lived up to the CP expectations, but I'm not ready to give up on the kid, and he has two more years on that rookie contract.

Hardman vs Jones, Jordan vs Lebron, Ali vs Frazier, debates that will live on for the ages.

Hardman?! Oh hell they can have Hardman! I'd much rather that than a second round pick. (Would be okay with either, though.)

He's 32 and is always injured.

We just got rid of a WR just like that. No thanks.

Eh, he went to the Super Bowl. There have been better WRs who haven't gotten that far.

Actually, he made one of the best catches I've ever seen in that SB, too. Shame it didn't end up mattering in the end.

For clarification, he means:

Mecole Hardman vs Julio Jones

Michael B Jordan vs LeBron James

Tatyana Ali vs Joe Frazier

The extension and toe tap on that catch was a thing of beauty. Only a handful of players in league history make that play.

That catch should have been the end of it.

So happy Shanny Jr. learned absolutely nothing from that game.

Kick the tires.

You know, the Chiefs are looking for a bigger #2 receiver . . . . . . . .

Obviously, this probably isn't happening . . . . . . . but for shits and giggles, could you imagine the amount of people that would completely lose their shit if the Chiefs actually managed to trade for Julio??

It would be a mind**** and glorious to watch the fallout from. LMAO LMAO LMAO LMAO

I actually agree with him.

I'd rather have a guy that can suit up than one that can't, regardless of talent level.

Hell no i wouldn't trade them Hardman either.

And why in the world would anyone give up on him? What is there to even give up on? A good player that's lightning fast, an absolute weapon as your 4th-5th option?

Hardman can be aloof at times and hasn't quite gotten the chemistry with Pat down yet, but the skills are all there.

Tbf before last year he played 15, 16, 14, 16, 16, 15 games in the 6 years before that.

While it's worth noting that he was out a significant time last season, I don't know that holds true historically:
Definitely need to rely on Rick and his team of doctors to determine if the juice is worth the squeeze here.

If all you consider as skills is speed. Then yeah. But as of now, he's a good gadget player, poor receiver. Hence us looking for a #2 WR right now.

Yes, and clearly, guys get more healthy as they get older.

Never said that. But as of now, last year seems like the outlier

Julio Jones had more yards than Hardman last year even though he only played in 9 games. Before that he had 1400 or more yards for like 6 straight years. (Something Hardman will never do, even if they expand to 20 game seasons and he never gets hurt.)

He's shown to have some of the most reliable hands on the team and has had made big plays in big situations.

He's a slight framed slot receiver. They want a bigger, stouter WR on the outside. What they want on the outside has nothing to do with Hardman. They've ALWAYS had a "type" that they want on the outside and Hardman doesn't fit that description.

I don't know where you're getting this poor receiver shit from.

And don't bother with this "he's a poor route runner" bullshit because that's a made up argument if i ever heard one.

No one on this forum is watching all-22 film of all of Hardman's routes, and even if they did, i'd still question if they knew what they were even looking at.

Julio is still elite. Yes please.

Rather grow/pay my own drama.

Did we trade for this piece of shit yet?!?!?

Get it done Bert Verch!!

Most reliable hands? Wut?

If he was a good WR, Reid would find a way to make him work and get him on the field. Instead if we get a #2 WR that can play 16 games, Hardmans touches will come few and dad between. He'll be even more of a end around/jet sweep guy than he was last year.

What we can ACTUALLY see from Hardman based on his 2 seasons. Not made up shit like, "oh i think he's a poor route runner".

Hardman:

Pros:

Blazing fast (stretches the defense, forces them to play honest)
Good/great hands
Home-run hitter after the catch
Plays big in big moments
Versatile slot player who's an asset in WR screens (which the Chiefs rarely run), end-rounds etc.
He can be used as a gadget player, but is not limited to being one.

Cons:
Seems to have trouble knowing where to be in a zone
Doesn't have the best chemistry with Pat
His size may be a factor in his ability to get off the press, thus limiting his role on the outside.

Yes. Some of the most reliable hands.

Obviously not on par with Kelce. Tyreek has his share of missed opportunities but will give him the nod based on sheer volume.

But are you going to try to argue that Pringle and Robinson have better hands? LMAO

And Reid DOES find a way to make him work and get him on the field.

Hardman fills a specific role on this team. And he's damn good at it. Getting a Julio Jones etc won't change anything about his role or production.

Where are fitting his $15 million dollar cap hit?

Julio is a great WR on the back end of his career.

I'd rather not give away draft capital to get him. If he was a FA I'd be interested.

We really should be trying to get younger and more talented at WR, so that those guys are ready to shoulder the load as Hill and Kelce inevitably decline in the future.

Although I expect Hill to be productive well into his mid-thirties, he will likely slow down some.

Kelce probably has 3 more seasons at peak performance before he slows down.

Jones would help in 2022, but I'd like to solve the positional issue for the next few years rather than just for now.

Restructure to 2022?

I don't want bork laser to take this deal rather have larry Fitzgerald

So if we have a WR2 that plays 16 games, and CEH gets more involved in the passing game, how exactly do you think Hardman won't see his touches reduced?

And Hardman led the team in drops. Idk why you think he has good hands. https://scores.nbcsports.com/fb/lead...e=NFL&rank=232

He suited up for a lot but was banged up more than that indicates.

I think the covid year really hurt Hardman's development. This is a really complicated offense, and his mental processing isn't always there yet, as we've seen. But I'm not nearly as down on him as some people are.

I agree with your assessment.

Yeah I agree. He's always nicked up but he played and still dominated unlike Sammy who flat out couldn't play.

Didn't we just get rid of a broke dick #2 wr?! For the last couple years hasn't he been one of those players who can't practice all week? Has to wait til game day until he knows if he'll play that week?

He had 1400 yards in 2019. What a brokedick.

Prediction: No matter where Julio plays this year, he will end up with more than double the yards of Mecole Hardman.

Because of the role he plays. Has his production changed at all the last two seasons? Maybe you should ask yourself why it hasn't, no matter who's lined up outside.

pls do it brat verch

Yeah because we have a WR2 that missed half of the games. Of course a WR3/4s production will be higher those years. What do you think to a happens to a WR3/4s production when the WR2 doesn't miss half the games?

I think Hardman's biggest obstacle is the mental part of the game. That's what shows up on the televised recordings of the games. He yings when Patrick expects him to yang, or he pulls up when Patrick expects him to keep going.

He was raw when we draft him and everyone knew that. Then all of a sudden people seemed to have forgotten that.

He could probably stand to add 10lbs like Tyreek did so he could hold up against press coverage on the outside as well.

Thus the question marks. You'd notice them if you paid attention.

Production doesn't work like that.

How many targets was Watkins getting when he was healthy and playing, vs Robinson/Pringle when they took over on the outside?

I'd be surprised if there's a deviation greater than +/- 1 or 2 targets.

You're acting like healthy Sammy Watkins was gobbling up targets when quite frankly he had stretches where they never threw his direction.

Fair enough. I've just seen a lot of comments in this thread from people who have this perception that Julio Jones can't stay healthy. He puts up monster numbers almost every year. And he does that while having a "questionable" designation. This causes stress for fantasy owners but it doesn't seem to matter on gameday. Last year was his standout "injury" problem year where he only played in 9 games. (But still out produced Hardman by like 200 yards.)

Since there seems to be a lot of comparing Jones to Watkins going on in this thread, just posting for reference:

https://www.nfl.com/players/sammy-watkins/stats/career

https://www.nfl.com/players/julio-jones/stats/career


One of these things is not like the other . . . . . . .

Throwing two balls at the same time will not get you on the refs good side.

Jones gets the stereotype of being often injured because he is often injured.

It just doesn't always cost him games so it doesn't show on the stats sheet. But he's seemingly always dealing with nagging soft-tissue injuries that he plays through.

With that said....many nagging soft tissue injuries or not....the dude still plays and still produces. At least until he doesn't...which could happen at anytime. It's certainly a calculated risk.

I’d do it for sure but at a certain compensation cost that probably is lower than he may go for.

I'm not sure it's a good idea money-wise.

I'm also not sure that Jones would want to come here and be the #3 option, which is what he would be. It's also not a great offense to walk into if you're planning on upping your value in a year. It's complicated, and you're not going to put up big numbers right away.

Unless he wants to come and get a ring and just contribute, I doubt it.

hard pass unless they actually cut him, which may happen if no offers are given for that salary hit, then if he wants a one year prove it deal to get a ring, sure. The pats didn't have a dynasty by signing players in the last years of their prime, well, unless they were cheap...

No thanks, Chiefs just cut Sammy Jones. Don't need to replace him.

:rolleyes:

JFC with the people comparing Julio Jones to Sammy Watkins. Julio is a future HOFer. Sammy is a #2 WR in this league who cant stay healthy. You absolutely make a move for him if the Falcons are taking calls.

Comparing Jones to Watkins is a bit of a disservice.

Minus last year for Jones (the outlier year), one guy plays through injuries, one guy doesn't.

The numbers from the last 5 years speak for themselves.


Not advocating for the Chiefs to trade for him and take on that big cap hit, but calling him Sammy Watkins is pretty damn disrespectful considering what he has done in his career.

He typically plays through nagging injuries unlike 'wounded vag Sam' (yes, that's his actual Native American name)

Someone will trade for him, no way he gets cut.

The recency bias (1 injured year) + Chiefs fans' PTSD of injured players (Schwartz, Watkins, Berry, etc..) is really clouding some judgement in here, I think.

Is there a valid reason for concern with him coming off a hamstring injury at age 32? Sure, so evaluate and don't get over your skis on trade compensation. Brett won't do that, so I'm not worried.

Is he Sammy Watkins, or even in the same realm? No way, man.

The difference NOW is that Jones plays through injuries and Watkins doesn't.

That doesn't change the fact that Jones is oft-injured because he absolutely is. And while the willingness to play through them may always be there, there will come a time when Jone's 30+ body simply won't be able to do that anymore. Those nagging injuries will eventually become issues that result in lost playing time, as we saw last year. These are the types of guys we should be avoiding, not inviting.

A pick (probably a 2) and his cap hits, at his age?


Nah.

Chiefs would have a Madden Ultimate Team in real life on offense if Jones was traded to KC.

ATL should do Jones a solid and trade him to us....his career has been a total waste on that franchise...a shame.

It's not recency bias.

Jones actually missed more games in 2013 than he did last year. He's actually had hamstring, foot, and ankle issues multiple times over his career.

I don't know how much stock you put into this type of analysis but I've found Sports Injury Predictor to be reasonably reliable at predicting injury outcomes for players. They nailed the results of the Dee Ford trade to SF.

https://sportsinjurypredictor.com/pl...lio-jones/4692

They have Julio Jones with a 94% of missing a game due to injury and the over/under at 2.4 games. He's considered a "high risk" player.

I agree, and will defer to Veach and the Chiefs' medical staff on that determination.

We are in the unique position of being set up to win now AND in the future, which is pretty rare. Each year we'll have to play a delicate game of calculated risks to ensure that we did enough to get to the mountain-top without mortgaging our future ability to sustain.

This is one of those moves that, if they're comfortable, could be slam dunk for '21 & '22 SB runs.

I'd really rather restock the position in the draft, and let those players grow into roles.

I think a 2022 3rd rounder is the most I can give for him given the cap, age, injuries.

And that’s IF you don’t draft a WR in R2.