© Kyle Terada | 2019 Dec 15
By all accounts, Julio Jones’ days in Atlanta are numbered.
According to ESPN, the Falcons already have several offers for the future Hall-of-Fame wide receiver, including one that involves a first-round pick in return.
If that report is true, it might eliminate the 49ers as possible suitors. San Francisco does not have a first-round pick in 2022 or 2023 thanks to the Trey Lance deal.
According to Falcons reporter Tori McElhaney of The Athletic, the Falcons are primarily interested in draft capital when it comes to compensation for Jones. She’s skeptical, however, that the Falcons can actually get a first-rounder for the 32-year-old who was relegated to just nine games last year, and that the 49ers could possibly entice them with some second and third round picks.
“I think the Falcons really, really want that draft capital,” McElhaney said on Papa & Lund. “That 2022 draft capital I think is what the Falcons are pushing for in a potential trade for Julio Jones. They understand that they don’t really want or can they handle a player in return.
“It would have to be somebody who fits into the cap and so what they’re looking at is very much some draft picks. I think the Falcons would love a first rounder, but I don’t think that’s feasible right now, understanding that Julio Jones is aging, he didn’t play much last year. I think other teams have the leverage of knowing the Falcons really need to make some money towards the cap. So all of those things make it kind of difficult to get that first rounder. But I do think a conditional second or maybe third rounder is on the table for somebody like Julio Jones.”
The Falcons currently don’t have enough money to sign their draft picks, so offloading Jones’ contract ($23.05 million against the cap in 2021 and has cap hits of $19.263 million in 2022 and 2023) is their primary objective. Jones would cost $15.3 million for the 49ers this year, a number which they could just barely afford.
“From the 49ers perspective it’s interesting, because the salary cap perspective for you guys is one of those things where they would probably want the Falcons to take on a little bit of Julio’s base salary in 2021. So would the Falcons be willing and able to do that? There are a lot of moving parts when you talk about putting together a potential trade package for Julio Jones.”