Atlanta Falcons fate is tied to Julio Jones’ contract

The fate of the Atlanta Falcons future, as an organization will be decided with how they handle Julio Jones’ contract situation.

Yes, we know how dominant Jones is as a receiver, he’s the best in the league, his not a diva off the field, and the man just performs for the Atlanta Falcons. He led the league in receiving yards last year and he balls under bright lights.

People like to knock him for lack of touchdowns, but try getting open when an entire defense is watching you and the field has shrunk to about eight yards. Matt Ryan is smart to not force it and look elsewhere. But we have seen what happens when he gives Julio a shot anyway. Shoutout to Malcolm Butler in Fog-gate.

All that aside, this situation is different. In a curbside interview with TMZ, Julio said he isn’t going to hold out, in fact he said he’s not even worried about his contract situation. He went on to say the goal is to finish his career in Atlanta.

Why isn’t he even thinking about a new deal? Well, because of Arthur Blank. The team’s owner. The man who wants so desperately to win a Super Bowl, who orchestrated building a new billion dollar stadium and who already has an MLS ring.

When the owner decides to get involved, that carries weight. That represents the character of the franchise. That is the ultimate leader. Players and agents can spin things one way and the team’s GM usually has to balance that out to some degree.

But then you’ve got the deus ex machina- Arthur Blank. If the situation goes south, and there is no contract resolution. The Falcons could very well lose all credibility with other free agents or young players ending their rookie deals.

The team took care of Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones, they gave Matt Ryan $150 million, which at the time was the largest contract in NFL history with the amount of guaranteed money, and it was well deserved.

Blank said then that the Falcons would reward Ryan for his MVP year. And he has given his word again, this time to Julio. A player with the likes that we haven’t seen.

While the Falcons have been kind of burned by large deals in the past, re: Michael Vick and now Devonta Freeman, Julio doesn’t show any of those signs entering his age 30 season.

If the Atlanta Falcons want to avoid any “Holes” like curse, Arthur Blank needs to honor his word sooner rather than later and adjust Julio Jones’ contract.