Atlanta Falcons: Franchise has the power in the struggle with Julio Jones

With all the rumors of the Atlanta Falcons trading future Hall of Fame receiver Julio Jones, one thing is clear – if they cannot recoup what he is worth, there is zero point in trading him.

Some across the NFL feel as if the Atlanta Falcons have to trade Julio Jones after the debacle on Undisputed, the fact is that is not true. Just because Julio wants out does not mean that the franchise has to accept an undervalued compensation package for him.

He is still among the top three receivers in the league and accepting anything less than a first-round pick should be a no-go for general manager Terry Fontenot. If a team is going to receive a first-round talent then they should have to part with a first-round pick and nothing less.

Many love to question Julio’s health and use that as a factor as to why no one should give up a first-round pick for him, but between 2014 and 2019 with the Atlanta Falcons in playoff contention, he missed no more than two games in a season and that was in 2016.

In 2020, he didn’t shut it down until it was clear that the Falcons were going nowhere and a coaching change was imminent. Over his 10 year career, with the exception of 2013 and 2020, Julio has missed just 10 games and has been an All-Pro receiver in seven of those seasons.

If no such offer is made for his services then Julio’s only two options should be to retire or play for the Atlanta Falcons in 2021.

Julio Jones has become a huge headache for the Atlanta Falcons

At this point, it certainly seems like Julio Jones is making calls himself to the high-profile guys around the league that he would like to play with in hopes that a trade could be forced to a team he perceives as a contender.

In the last couple of days, Jones has been linked to the Patriots, Titans, and Seahawks while video of him working out with Titans running back Derrick Henry have been posted and a rumor was published today that Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Julio have talked about playing together.

Allegedly, the Seahawks and Falcons have talked about making that trade happen.

While it would be foolish to trade him to an NFC team, it would not be nearly as foolish as letting an all-time great walk for a second or third-round pick, unless the trade included an elite pass rusher. Fontenot has to do what is best for the Falcons and can no longer concern himself with what is best for Julio. Teams don’t win titles by taking less value in trades than the player(s) they are giving up.