Atlanta Falcons should trade Julio Jones for a younger star

The Atlanta Falcons should seriously consider trading Julio Jones.

By all accounts, the Atlanta Falcons believe in Calvin Ridley. They see him as the true heir to the throne when Julio Jones’ time is inevitably up in the next couple of years.

However, they could trade the few potential good years Jones has left for a younger superstar to pair next to Ridley for the future, the Cleveland Browns’ Odell Beckham, Jr. makes a lot of sense for many reasons.

Jones’ run as the unquestioned best receiver in the game is quickly coming to an end, moving on from his outsized contract, and the fact that he can’t seem to stay healthy makes this trade ideal for the Falcons.

OBJ hasn’t played with a worthwhile quarterback in years. Even during his best season in a New York Giants uniform, Eli Manning was on the clear decline.

Yes, you can call OBJ a diva, but he has game-changing talent and is a legitimate deep threat. During his time in Cleveland, an experiment that hasn’t exactly worked out, you didn’t hear too much from him.

Both receivers could benefit from a change in current scenery.

A change of scenery in Atlanta, with a quarterback like Matt Ryan and a young guy like Ridley, could be the perfect mix.

OBJ is four years younger than Julio Jones and is also a bit cheaper right now. Per Spotrac his cap hit is about $15.5 million through the life of his contract which ends in 2023. Jones’ cap hit is about $23 million this year, $19 next but there is a potential out after next season.

The Falcons would have to throw in a late-round pick to sweeten the deal for Cleveland but that shouldn’t be a problem.

Oh yes, and there are the injuries.

OBJ had a season-ending one last year but when you take a closer look, Julio played in just two more games than him – Beckham, Jr. played in seven, Julio in nine.

In those nine games, he had 51 catches, OBJ had 23 in his seven but with Baker Mayfield as his quarterback, so the risk of losing production is quite low. Plus, would you rather have a younger guy making a recovery than an aged player who can’t ever seem to be 100 percent?

If the Falcons want to rebuild while staying competitive, a Julio for OBJ trade might just be the move.