When a player the caliber of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones hits the trading block, the other 31 NFL teams are likely to have some level of interest. The problem is that Jones’ 2021 salary cap hit of $15.3 million (starting June 2) is a big chunk for any potential trade suitor to absorb.
Plus, considering that the Falcons are essentially making this move to clear cap space, they’ll be focused mostly on draft picks — reportedly a first-round selection — in return for the All-Pro wideout.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Rams and Titans are among the teams who’ve had discussions with Atlanta regarding Jones.
“The Falcons have been fielding offers and some of the teams we’ve heard about – the Titans, the Rams – yes, my understanding is those are two of the teams that have had conversations with Atlanta,” said Garafolo.
We’ve heard rumors before that Tennessee could be interested — and TikTok requests from Titans players — but one team we haven’t really focused on as a possible destination is Los Angeles.
After trading for quarterback Matthew Stafford, head coach Sean McVay appears to be going all in to get back to the Super Bowl. What better way to make his new QB feel comfortable than by acquiring the player who took the mantle from Calvin Johnson as the NFL’s most physically dominant receiver?
As much sense as the move makes on paper, though, the Rams’ aggressiveness in recent years has put them in a tough spot in terms of draft capital they could send Atlanta. Los Angeles doesn’t even have a first-round pick until 2024. To make matters worse, the Rams have under $8 million in cap space.
With that said, we wouldn’t bet against an aggressive franchise like Los Angeles in getting a deal done.
