Atlanta Falcons Shopping Pro Bowl WR Julio Jones

Wide receiver Julio Jones could be on his way out of Atlanta.

The Atlanta Falcons are rumored to be shopping the pro bowler because of salary-cap concerns. The Falcons are facing a salary cap problem despite restructuring the contracts of four of their key players. Jones is set to have a base salary of $15.3 million during the 2021 season. Jones’s salary base will make the possible teams who can absorb his contract hard to find. Furthermore, the pro bowler’s contract is making it hard for the team to sign any of their draftees.

Jones was drafted with the sixth pick of the 2011 NFL Draft. Jones made an immediate impact on the team and emerged as one of their biggest stars. The wide receiver earned his first Pro Bowl selection a year after he was drafted. The receiver led the league in receiving yards in 2015 and 2018. Jones is Atlanta’s all-time receiving yards leader and the all-time career receptions leader.

While Jones has performed well for the team, last year was an injury-plagued season for him. The 32-year-old receiver was sidelined in Week 4 because of a hamstring injury. The injury caused Jones to only play in nine games. It was the second time in his career that he did not play in more than 10 games.

The injury is one of the possible concerns for teams looking to trade for the talented veteran. The rumored teams that could take on Jones’ contract are the Ravens, 49ers, Patriots, Colts and Chargers. Any trade would likely need to be a post-June 1 designation, as Jones’ cap hit can be split over two seasons after that point.

Article by Allan Perez