It looks more and more likely that seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones has played in his last game with the Falcons.
On an appearance with Fox Sports’ Undisputed on Monday, Jones said, “I’m out of there,” when asked by Shannon Sharpe if he wanted to stay in Atlanta next season.
When asked where he would want to play, Jones said, “I want to win,” and later explicitly ruled out a possible deal to the Cowboys, saying, “I ain’t going to Dallas, man. I never thought about going to them.”
In late April, The MMQB‘s Albert Breer reported that the Falcons were fielding trade offers for Jones. Per Breer, the deal would be part of a larger effort by the Falcons to shed salary and get safely under the cap. Jones is set to make more than $15 million this season.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that Jones requested a trade from the organization a few months ago and that the team agreed to listen.
“They obviously know how I feel about Julio. They know it, there’s no question about it,” quarterback Matt Ryan recently told Breer. “It’s the part of the business that’s tough as a player, that it’s constantly like this. And Julio’s had such incredible production that it becomes a huge, huge story. But this is the hard part of it, there’s uncertainty, for lack of a better term, constantly. So obviously I hope he’s here. He’s been such an awesome teammate. Really, and I’ve said this before, I don’t think anybody has impacted my career as significantly as him. I’ve been very fortunate to ride along with him for 10 years. So we’ll see what happens. But I also don’t want to get involved in anybody else’s business. That’s for him to handle.”
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A hamstring injury limited Jones to just nine games last season, though he still put up strong numbers when he was on the field. He caught 51 passes for 771 yards and three scores as the Falcons finished the year 4–12. From 2014–19, Jones missed only four games and averaged 104 catches and 1,564 yards per season.
According to The Athletic‘s Jeff Schultz, the Ravens, 49ers, Patriots, Colts and Chargers are among possible teams that could land Jones.
According to Breer, a second-round pick could end up as the eventual compensation for the star wideout.
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• Orr: 10 Interesting Offseason Story Lines
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