Julio Jones on Falcons: 'I’m out of there'

FS1 host Shannon Sharpe called Julio Jones and asked him about his status in Atlanta Monday. The Falcons wide receiver, who might not have known that he was on air, told Sharpe that he’s “out of there” (Twitter link). 

Sharpe also asked Jones if he would be interested in going to Dallas, since he was recently spotted in Cowboys gear. To that, Jones said, “I ain’t going to Dallas, I never thought of going to Dallas.” Then, sometime after that, Sharpe informed Jones that he was live on national television.

Jones requested a trade a few months ago, sources confirmed to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). The Falcons subsequently agreed to listen to offers. As it stands, the asking price is a first-round pick (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). So far, they haven’t gotten an offer to their liking, and execs around the NFL league doubt they’ll get it, Schefter hears.

Jones’ contract has three years to go. This year, he’ll earn a guaranteed $15.3M. Beyond that, he’s set to make $15.5M in 2022, with a couple million already locked in, followed by another $11.5M in 2023. Even though Jones is a perennial All-Pro, that’s a lot of coin for a 32-year-old coming off of a partial season.

The Falcons could net more in the way of draft compensation by eating a portion of Jones’ deal. Still, even if they eat the lion’s share, they might not be able to get a Round 1 pick for the veteran. Meanwhile, they’ve got a numbers crunch of their own to deal with, so they can’t necessarily afford to pay out the bulk of the contract.