Julio Jones - Pro Football Rumors

WR Notes: Fitzgerald, Floyd, Jones

December 22nd, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Thirteenth-year Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald stated earlier this week that he’s “uncertain” about whether he’ll return in 2017. The future Hall of Famer offered a timeline of when he’ll make a decision Thursday, telling Jim Trotter of ESPN.com that he’ll take a month or two after the season to determine if he’ll keep playing (Twitter links). This season has taken a “tremendous” physical toll on the 33-year-old Fitzgerald, he revealed, adding that the 5-8-1 Cardinals’ failure to meet their lofty preseason expectations hasn’t helped.

More wideout-related notes:

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick implied Wednesday that the club knew the full details of then-Cardinal Michael Floyd‘s Dec. 12 DUI arrest when it claimed him off waivers Dec. 15, but he indicated otherwise Thursday, per Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. The Cardinals released Floyd as a result of his arrest, which came after he registered a blood alcohol level of .21 (more than twice the legal limit of .08), and owner Michael Bidwill said the 27-year-old showed “no remorse” and “was unapologetic.” Floyd responded to that Thursday, saying, “I love that organization. Mr. Bidwell treated me very well. I really don’t have too big of a comment [on him] saying that.” Continued Floyd, who could face a mandatory 45-day jail sentence, “I think right now it is about learning about that mistake. I couldn’t be in a better position right now with this team. The guys that they have around here are keeping me focused and working hard” (via Ryan Hannable of WEEI).
After missing the past two games with a toe injury, Falcons superstar Julio Jones will play Saturday in Carolina, head coach Dan Quinn announced Thursday (Twitter link). Despite Jones’ multiple-week absence, he still leads the NFL in receiving yards (1,253). He and the 9-5 Falcons can clinch the NFC South this week with a win and a Buccaneers loss in New Orleans.
In case you missed it, the Bengals’ A.J. Green will return from a month-plus absence Saturday. And Brandon Marshall, whom the Jets could release this offseason, finds the idea of playing for New England “intriguing.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Eagles, Norman, Panthers, Falcons

December 16th, 2016 at 9:36pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest from the NFC:

The Eagles can’t let impending free agent defensive tackle Bennie Logan get away in the offseason, opines Paul Domowitch of Philly.com. Logan could land $10MM per year on his next contract, writes Domowitch, and an NFL executive told him the Eagles will have to make a sacrifice elsewhere on their roster to retain him. “It would be an unusual allocation of assets,” he said, alluding to the fact that the Eagles already have an expensive D-tackle in Fletcher Cox. “But you could sit down and make it work on paper if you really felt it was that important.” That could mean releasing stalwart left tackle Jason Peters, who’s eight years older than Logan (34 to 26). Cutting Peters would save Philadelphia $9.2MM in 2017, though it would subtract a highly valuable O-lineman from its roster at the same time. “It’s going to be more of a player personnel decision than a cap decision for them with Peters,” the executive said. “If they think somebody like (Halapoulivaati) Vaitai can be a solid right tackle, or they think they can get one without giving up too much, then maybe you flip (Lane) Johnson over to the left side and let Peters go.” Of course, the Eagles are already paying Johnson left tackle-type money on account of the extension he signed last January.
Speaking to Charlotte-based media earlier this week, Redskins cornerback Josh Norman revealed he was “salty” after the Panthers pulled the franchise tag off him last April and likened it to a stab in the back (via Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today). However, the 29-year-old added that feels “no animosity” toward the Panthers, with whom he spent the first four years of his career after they took him in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. While Carolina was the reigning NFC champion at the time it cut ties with Norman, it’s now 5-8 and all but out of the playoff picture. The Redskins are very much alive at 7-5-1, on the other hand, and have gotten plenty of help from Norman – Pro Football Focus’ 19th-ranked corner – in the first season of his five-year, $75MM deal. The Panthers will try to spoil the postseason hopes of Norman and the Redskins when the clubs meet in Washington on Monday.
The Falcons will go without all-world wide receiver Julio Jones this Sunday against the 49ers because of a sprained toe, per Marc Sessler of NFL.com. Atlanta didn’t have Jones last week, either, but it still managed to beat the lowly Rams by four touchdowns. San Francisco has lost 12 in a row since a Week 1 win, so the Jones-less Falcons look poised to improve to 9-5 and remain atop the NFC South.

Falcons Promote WR Nick Williams

December 9th, 2016 at 6:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons have promoted wide receiver Nick Williams from the practice squad to the active roster and waived cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson, the club announced today. Atlanta has already ruled out pass-catcher Mohamed Sanu for Sunday’s game against the Rams, and the team announced today that All Pro wide receiver Julio Jones is questionable for Week 14 and is a game-time decision after not practicing all week.

“Sunday, we’ll go out and let [Jones] run some full speed routes, go through the process,” said head coach Dan Quinn. “It’s not the catching, we just want to see the full speed routes. That’s what the plan is – his intent is right to go and play. We are anticipating that, but we’ll see where it goes on Sunday morning.”

Jones, of course, is the key piece of a Falcons offense that has ridden its No. 1 DVOA offense to a 7-5 record. Once leading the NFC South by a wide margin, Atlanta is now tied with Tampa Bay for first place in the division, so every game counts as the club closes out the campaign. According to Brian Burke of ESPN.com‘s Playoff Leverage, a win on Sunday would give the Falcons approximately a 90% chance of making the playoffs, while a loss would drop those odds to less than 75%.

If both Sanu and Jones are sidelined on Sunday, Atlanta would use a receiving corps made up of Taylor Gabriel, Aldrick Robinson, Justin Hardy, Eric Weems, and Williams, along with tight ends Austin Hooper and Levine Toilolo.

NFC Notes: Vikings, Smith, Panthers, Short

June 8th, 2016 at 3:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Harrison Smith got a big deal with the Vikings on Monday in part due to his agent’s familiarity with the Minnesota brass, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. The agent likened his relationship with the Vikings to the give-and-take of marriage.

“When you first do a negotiation with a new person, you’re very careful in everything you say. You don’t give up an inch until you know you can get an inch back. It’d be like in marriage, you don’t say you’re going to take out the trash on Thursdays unless you know they’ll load the dishwasher on Fridays,” Brian Murphy said. “As you negotiate more and more deals, my whole philosophy is, there’s no room for bluffing. There’s certainly no room for lying. … I think that (Vikings VP of football operations) Rob [Brzezinski] is very, very good in that, in terms of saying what he means. And we say what we mean. But it takes a couple negotiations to realize, ‘Hey, when he said this, he really does mean this.'”

Murphy also represents John Sullivan, who has done two deals beyond his rookie contract. Kyle Rudolph, who signed a five-year deal in 2014, is also a Murphy client, as is Everson Griffen, who got $42.5MM over five years from Minnesota after the 2013 season. 2014 first-round pick Trae Waynes is also repped by Murphy and he could be the latest to add to the ~$180MM worth of deals that GM Rick Speilman has inked with Murphy guys.

Right now, it seems to be a happy marriage between the safety and the Vikings. Smith will earn more per year than any other safety in the NFL while the Vikings have the star locked down for years to come.

Here’s more out of the NFC:

Panthers coach Ron Rivera has repeatedly said that he wasn’t concerned by the absence of Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short during OTAs, but David Newton of ESPN.com is confident that both he and GM Dave Gettleman are irked by it. “The thing I appreciate, for most part, everybody has told me what’s been going on with the exception of one person,” said Rivera, who was very possibly referring to the defensive tackle. Short’s 11 sacks last season were tied for the most by anyone at his position. He is currently scheduled to count for just $1.473MM against the 2016 cap.
Ryan Kalil‘s extension with the Panthers calls for him to make $13.25MM in 2016 instead of the originally planned $7.75MM, but he’ll make just $3.75MM in ’17, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That affordable salary pretty much secures his ’17 roster spot, he adds. Following the extension, Kalil’s cap numbers are as follows (Twitter link via Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer): $11.83MM in 2016, $5.33MM in 2017, and $5.78MM in 2018.
If former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh got his way, the 49ers would have drafted Julio Jones, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. Recently, Harbaugh (now the coach at Michigan), caused a stir when he was spotted wearing a Jones jersey at a satellite camp. “I’ve always had a ton of respect for Julio Jones,” Harbaugh said in this video on Scout.com. “When I was with the San Francisco 49ers, we were hoping to draft Julio. Always have had tremendous respect for him, competed against him. … I’m just a big fan of a lot of pe0ple. And I’m a jersey guy. I like jerseys.”

Newton, Peterson, Others Get Salary Guarantees

March 11th, 2016 at 8:38pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Several NFL players have contracts containing language which states that they’ll get a full or partial salary guarantees for 2016 and/or 2017 if they remained on their respective teams on Friday, the third day of the league year. Let’s check in some of those players (link courtesy of CBS Sports’ Joel Corry):

Cam Newton, quarterback (Panthers): $13MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed. Friday is also the deadline for the Panthers to pick up Newton’s 2020 option for $10MM.
Eli Manning, quarterback (Giants): $17.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Jay Cutler, quarterback (Bears): $16MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Adrian Peterson, running back (Vikings): $7MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Julio Jones, wide receiver (Falcons): $11.5MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
A.J. Green, wide receiver (Bengals): $6MM roster bonus is payable.
Brandon Marshall, wide receiver (Jets): $9.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Mike Iupati, guard (Cardinals): $6.75MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed, as is $2MM of Iupati’s $8MM base salary for 2017.
Rodney Hudson, center (Raiders): $7.35MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle (Buccaneers): $13.25MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
Marcell Dareus, defensive tackle (Bills): $9.75MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
Justin Houston, linebacker (Chiefs): $14.75MM of Houston’s $14.9MM base salary in 2016 is now fully guaranteed, as is $6.75MM of his $16.35MM base salary for 2017.
DeAndre Levy, linebacker (Lions): $5.25MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Aqib Talib, cornerback (Broncos): $8.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Pats, Julio, Fluker, Cooper

September 17th, 2015 at 9:34pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The DeflateGate scandal reentered the news Thursday when Mark Baltz, the NFL’s head linesman from 1989-2013, voiced his suspicion regarding recently reinstated Patriots employee Jim McNally. In response, Jim Daopoulos – the league’s ex-supervisor of officials and one of Baltz’s former bosses – defended McNally.

“In all my years working with locker-room attendants, Jim McNally, without a doubt, is probably one of the most professional of all the locker-room attendants in the National Football League,” Daopoulos said, according to CSNNE.com. “And that can be attested by all the officials working in the National Football League.”

“I really don’t know what Mark’s agenda is right here,” Daopoulos added.

Other news from around the league:

Although Falcons star receiver Julio Jones has been limited this week with a hamstring injury, head coach Dan Quinn says there’s “zero” chance he’ll miss their game Sunday, per The Associated Press. Jones lit up the Eagles for nine catches, 141 yards and two touchdowns in Monday’s win. He’ll look to do something similar against the Giants this week.
Chargers guard D.J. Fluker was carted off the field with an ankle injury during the team’s Week 1 win over Detroit, and there was concern that he’d miss anywhere from four to six weeks. Instead, Fluker will only miss a couple weeks, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. In the meantime, Chris Hairston will take his spot as the starting right guard.
Raiders receiver Amari Cooper harbors no ill will toward Bengals cornerback Adam Jones, who avoided a suspension after ripping Cooper’s helmet off his head and slamming his head against the ground in Cincy’s win last week. “I didn’t want him to get suspended,” Cooper said, per Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “He was just playing football and playing physical like you’re supposed to. I’m past all that now. I’m trying to focus on the Ravens.” (Twitter links: 1; 2).
Seahawks rookie defensive end Frank Clark is a situation player – for now, anyway – and using Richard Sherman in the slot enables the team to get its three best cornerbacks on the field, D-coordinator Kris Richard said (Twitter link via The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta).
The Colts’ decision to waive/injured running back Vick Ballard prior to Week 1 remains a curious one, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. They did it to open up a spot for inside linebacker Josh McNary, but they have a logjam of ILBs. On the other hand, they’re lacking at running back behind starter Frank Gore.

South Notes: K. Lewis, Jennings, J. Jones, Jags

September 2nd, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Saints made the cornerback position a priority this offseason when they added former Patriot Brandon Browner and CFLer Delvin Breaux as free agents, but the team’s top corner won’t be available to start the regular season. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Keenan Lewis underwent hip surgery yesterday and will miss about four to six weeks of action.

Landing on the IR with the designation to return doesn’t appear likely for Lewis, since that would sideline him for the entire first half, but the Saints will have to make do without him for at least the next month.

Let’s check in on a few other items from out of the league’s two South divisions….

Speaking to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Facebook link), free agent cornerback Tim Jennings said a visit with to Tampa Bay “went well,” but he hasn’t made a decision yet on whether he’ll sign with the Buccaneers. “I do want to take this time to see what other opportunities may materialize, if possible,” Jennings said. “Some teams may have some things come up with more roster cuts. Obviously, I also have a strong connection to Tampa too. So we will see.”
Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com has the full year-by-year breakdown for Julio Jones‘ extension with the Falcons, which includes a $12MM signing bonus and $35.5MM in fully guaranteed money.
Echoing many of the same points made by Jason La Canfora in a recent CBSSports.com column, Bob Kravitz of WTHR Sports writes that Chuck Pagano‘s future as the Colts head coach is uncertain, given his expiring contract and possible tension with GM Ryan Grigson.
The Jaguars would “most likely not” let Justin Blackmon out of his NFL contract to pursue a contract in the CFL, writes Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. Of course, Blackmon would also have to be reinstated by the NFL before he could even consider playing in Canada, and that doesn’t appear imminent either.
A housekeeping detail on the Steelers‘ acquisition of Josh Scobee, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links): The Jaguars converted $925K of Scobee’s base salary into a signing bonus before completing the deal, meaning they pay that amount, leaving the Steelers with just a $2.5MM tab for 2015.

NFC South Notes: Jones, Brown, Glennon, Griffin

August 30th, 2015 at 5:56pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Falcons went all in on Julio Jones during the 2011 draft, trading five picks to move way up in the first round to take the star receiver out of Alabama. Despite a trip to the NFC Championship game in 2013, the last two seasons have gone less than perfectly for the Falcons. Yet the team is going all in on Jones again, giving him a five-year extension with $47.5MM in guaranteed money, writes Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His injury history derailed the top-heavy roster before, and with his new deal he needs to stay on the field to give the offense a chance to score.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC South:

Despite six dropped passes in two preseason games, Panthers wide receiver Corey Brown is still a lock to make the final roster, writes David Newton of ESPN. He notes that Brown has the confidence of head coach Ron Rivera.
For teams who may need to scramble for a starting quarterback due to an injury in preseason or early in the regular season, the first call they should make should be to the Buccaneers concerning Mike Glennon, writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. A source ranked Glennon as the best trade target, ahead of other notable backups Zach Mettenberger, Kirk Cousins, and Ryan Mallett. For the record, Cousins might not be a backup any longer.
The Saints are set at starting quarterback with Drew Brees, but the depth chart after him is in flux. Luke McCown took over after Brees during today’s preseason game, followed by rookie Garrett Grayson, writes Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com (via Twitter). That may leave Ryan Griffin on the outside looking in, in terms of a roster spot.

Falcons, Julio Jones Agree To Extension

August 29th, 2015 at 5:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Falcons and wide receiver Julio Jones have agreed to a five-year contract extension, Peter King of The MMQB tweets. The deal is worth $71.25MM and includes $47MM in guarantees, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen (Twitter link).

Our own Luke Adams speculated in July that Jones could become the league’s second-highest-paid wideout. That has come to fruition, as Jones’ $14.25MM annual salary is second to the Lions’ Calvin Johnson, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter).

Jones is the latest in a string of standout receivers to sign an extension prior to the upcoming season, joining the Cowboys’ Dez Bryant (five years, $70MM, $45MM guaranteed), the Broncos’ Demaryius Thomas (five years, $70MM, $43.5MM guaranteed), and the Colts’ T.Y. Hilton (five years, $65MM, $39MM guaranteed). This news comes despite a report earlier this week (Twitter link) that contract talks between the Falcons and Jones had “stalled significantly.” Nevertheless, the two sides set a deadline for today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, and were able to hammer out a deal to keep Jones from possibly testing free agency next offseason.

“We could not be more thrilled to make Julio a Falcon for life,” team owner Arthur Blank said, per ESPN’s Vaughn McClure (Twitter link).

King reported (via Twitter) that, as recently as a few weeks ago, “there was unanimity that all in” the Falcons organization wanted Jones to spend his entire prime in Atlanta, and for good reason. The Falcons took Jones in the first round of the 2011 draft and the ex-Alabama star has since established himself as one of the best wideouts in the league, catching 278 passes and 26 touchdowns in 49 games. The 26-year-old is coming off his best season, one in which he totaled personal bests in receptions (104) and yards (1,593). He also hauled in six touchdowns, his second-highest amount in a season, averaged 15.3 yards per catch, and made his second Pro Bowl.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Julio Jones Extension Talks

August 25th, 2015 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

With Demaryius Thomas, Dez Bryant, and T.Y. Hilton all receiving new mega-deals this offseason, the focus on the wide receiver market has now turned to Julio Jones and A.J. Green, the next star wideouts in line for lucrative new extensions. While we haven’t heard many concrete updates on Green’s situation with the Bengals, recent reports have suggested Jones and the Falcons are making progress.

Despite the fact that the two sides have yet to reach an agreement, there’s still optimism in Atlanta that a deal is on the way. On Monday, Falcons owner Arthur Blank told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com that there’s no cause for concern when it comes to Jones’ contract.

“There’s no hold up at all,” Blank said. “It’s just the process that you have to go through. It’s a bit of a dance. He’s got a very good agent with experience. We have a great relationship with [agent Jimmy Sexton]. That [agency] has signed the last two big receiver contracts done in the league. We’re committed to Julio, who is committed to us. We’re getting close to where we need to be.”

Blank’s suggestion that the Falcons are “getting close” to where they need to be in contract talks indicates that an extension for Jones could be right around the corner. However, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link) throws some cold water on that notion, citing sources who say that negotiations between the two sides “stalled significantly” last week.

When the Broncos and Thomas were negotiating their new agreement earlier this summer, we heard similar reports about stalled talks and a large gap between proposals, but the team and player ultimately reached a deal at the last minute. The Falcons would probably like to get some resolution one way or another on Jones’ contract before the season begins, so there’s still plenty of time between now and Week 1 for discussions to reignite and for Atlanta to reach a compromise with its top playmaker.