The highest-profile of the Falcons’ extension candidates will not wage a holdout. Julio Jones is still attached to the extension he signed in 2015, but the All-Pro wide receiver has reported to Falcons training camp, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
Jones has expressed optimism this offseason he and the Falcons will come to terms on an extension, one that could well be a market-reshaping pact, and attended Atlanta’s minicamp. Still, the 30-year-old star showing up in advance of Atlanta’s camp is a good sign.
“Mr. Blank gave us his word. … That’s golden,” Jones said in June. “His word is that it’s going to get done. … There’s no stress on my end. I’m not thinking about it. [Blank] makes it easy for me to go out and just work every day and not have one of those situations where there’s a holdout or anything like that.”
The Falcons have done well to advance their offseason blueprint this week, having signed both Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones to extensions. Both are now under contract through at least the 2022 season. While Julio Jones and the Falcons have been at this for a while, there still appears to be considerable ground to cover.
Jones’ 7,994 receiving yards since the 2014 season are the most any NFLer has ever compiled in a five-year span. He is almost certainly gunning to be the game’s first $20MM-per-year wideout. After early-career injury trouble, Jones has played in 16 games in three of the past four seasons and only missed three contests over the past five years.
Extensions for Michael Thomas, Amari Cooper and possibly A.J. Green look to be on hold while the Falcons negotiate with their more accomplished receiver.
Falcons will overpay but you can’t let him go. He’s 30 and likely has 3ish elite years left in him before he becomes “good” (think fitz in the past few years)
This is why Atlanta will be held back. Trade him, get the assets for the future.
I imagine Fitz would still be all-world if he had a QB as good as Matt Ryan to support him.
I mean, good on him for holding up his end of the contract he signed?
He’s also going to be big for the development of Ridley, keeping him from being double teamed while he develops.
The Falcons have over-valued this guy from the get-go. He’s a good player, but he isn’t good enough to offset all the other problem areas on this team.