Atlanta Falcons aren’t going to pay Julio Jones & Calvin Ridley

While no Atlanta Falcons fan wants to see a top wide receiver go, the truth is that the franchise isn’t going to be able to pay its two top playmakers at the same time.

There has been a ton of speculation and rumors surrounding Julio Jones and the seeming impending trade that might occur before it’s all said and done. The Falcons didn’t put Jones on any of the marketing material for the schedule release and many NFL analysts have pointed to this summer as the time where the franchise might let go of the talented wide receiver.

Is it because they want to? No. It’s because of financial reasons.

If the Falcons kept Jones, his contract for the 2021 season would be a $23 million hit to the cap. If they kept him past this coming season, he’d be set to have a $19.6 million hit to the cap each of the final two years of his contract. There is a potential out following the 2022 season where he would have $7.7 million in dead cap.

I know what many of you are thinking: Why don’t they just keep him?

The Atlanta Falcons can’t afford to pay both Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley at the same time with the other needs on the roster

Jones is 32 years old and is about to the point where he is past his prime. Calvin Ridley, on the other hand, is 27 years and is considered in the midst of his prime. Because of how his contract is structured, Ridley is set to make $11 million next season.

If the Falcons kept Jones and Ridley, they’d pay upwards of $31 million for just two wide receivers.

When you have other positions or potential negotiations that will need to be addressed- such as a Grady Jarrett extension, just as an example- it would be nearly impossible to enter those with any kind of cap space.

The Falcons could hold on to the veteran for one more year and look to trade him next spring, but the chance you’re taking there is that he may- and probably will- depreciate even more in trade value.

It’s not that we want to see Jones go or even believe that the Falcons should trade him this year, but it just seems inevitable at this point that he is going to be gone at some point in the near future. Unfortunately, that contract just gives the Falcons no other option.