NFL Notes: Sizing up the Patriots’ chief competition for Julio Jones

The Julio Jones sweepstakes are about to heat up in earnest. If the Falcons are going to trade their high-priced receiver, which is the expectation, it will happen after June 1 in order to maximize cap savings.

That means, once Tuesday arrives, the real fireworks should get underway.

Along with the Falcons needing cap space, Jones told FS1’s Undisputed show that he wants “outta there.”

And Jones reportedly has two destinations in mind: New England or Tennessee.

If only it was as simple as two teams duking it out. The Falcons have reportedly been talking with multiple suitors for Jones. And they’ll make the final call on a deal.

Anyone in the hunt needs to have cap space flexibility to take on Jones’ contract, as he’s still due a little over $38.8 million over the next three seasons. Of immediate concern is his massive cap hit ($23 million) this season, not to mention his fully guaranteed salary of $15.3 million in 2021.

Along with the Titans and Patriots, who are other teams in the mix to land the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver? Who’s the competition?

While the Pats appear to be the favorites, they’re still going to have to beat out several other teams to ultimately land Jones if they truly want him.

Along with the Patriots, here’s a look at 5 teams who figure to make a play for Quintorris Lopez “Julio” Jones Jr.

Patriots

Cap Space: Roughly $14 million

Receiver depth: Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, N’Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Nixon, Gunner Olszewski, Matthew Slater, Devin Smith, Kristian Wilkerson, Isaiah Zuber.

Motivation: For starters, they don’t have an elite No. 1 wideout in the bunch. It’s one area on the roster that could still use a boost. Bill Belichick landed the two top tight ends on the free agent market (Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith). He also added wideouts Agholor and Bourne, who should improve the unit. And while the Patriots are geared toward having a run-first power offense, adding a game-breaker like Jones would provide another dimension, making them much tougher to defend. Teams wanting to take away the middle of the field have to think twice with Jones and Agholor on the outside.

Given all the money spent, Belichick appears to be in win-now mode. So it comes as no surprise the Patriots have done their due diligence about acquiring Jones, who would make them big-time contenders. While injuries are a concern at age 32, Jones’ overwhelming talent trumps those issues for the most part, especially for a team that’s a player or two away from having a realistic shot at making some noise. Jones also wants to play with Cam Newton, according to one report. That has to be a factor, but it’s also a rather sticky part, given Newton’s troubles throwing the football last year.

If Newton can’t cut it, though, Mac Jones would step into a great situation. And, he might be more equipped to take full advantage of Julio’s talent given how well he took advantage of the elite group of receivers he had in Alabama.

As for cap space, the Pats might not have that readily available to cover his contract, especially with several rookies still to sign, but could certainly find creative ways to make it work if they so desired. Having the Falcons eat a good chunk of the contract would expedite a match not only for the Patriots, but for other suitors as well.

It’s doubtful Belichick would hand over a first-round pick, but he might be willing to surrender a future second-rounder and a player. N’Keal Harry makes sense from the Patriots’ end. So does Jarrett Stidham. Hard to know if the Falcons would be amenable to either. They seem to want draft capital over players on the roster.

All things considered, the Patriots are one of the favorites to win the Jones derby, especially if Belichick is on board with the move.

49ers

Cap space: Roughly $18 million

Receiver depth: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Richie James, Travis Benjamin, Jalen Hurd, Trent Sherfield, Mohamed Sanu, River Cracraft, Jauan Jennings, Kevin White, Austin Watkins Jr., Bennie Fowler.

Motivation: Obviously, this one starts with Kyle Shanahan, the former offensive coordinator for the Falcons. He knows very well what Jones will provide his offense and how to use him. By the same token, Jones knows him, and the 49ers offense very well.

In the past, Shanahan hasn’t been shy about snapping up former Falcons offensive players. Jones would merely be the latest.

The Niners have a pretty good stable of receivers led by Samuel and Aiyuk, but adding Jones would give them another deep threat. He fits as the type of outside receiver they currently lack. So if John Lynch and Shanahan want more, adding a bona fide No. 1 to the mix, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to try to make it happen.

They’ve done it before, trading for Emmanuel Sanders during their Super Bowl run during the 2019 season. And right now, the Niners seem poised to get back to the championship game.

The biggest fly in the ointment here is the fact they’ve surrendered so many draft assets in moving up the board to get in the No. 3 spot to select North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance.

They don’t have a first-round pick until 2024, so a second and future third- or fourth-rounder would have to suffice.

If cap space is a problem, they can always cut or trade Jimmy Garoppolo and immediately gain about $25 million on the payroll. But they’d have to be completely sold on Lance to do that.

Moving Jimmy G would allow them to not only snag Jones, but also re-sign Fred Warner and/or Nick Bosa, two of their defensive stalwarts, down the road.

Titans

Cap space: Roughly $3.5 million

Receiver depth: A.J. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Dez Fitzpatrick, Cameron Batson, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Marcus Johnson, Chester Rogers, Racey McMath, Cody Hollister, Mason Kinsey, Fred Brown, Kalija Lipscomb.

Motivation: Along with the Pats, the Titans are on Jones’ preferred destination list. And, if there’s player compensation involved, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith certainly knows the roster. He was the former Titans offensive coordinator. So there might be a player or two he’d love to bring to Atlanta.

The Titans did lose a couple of their best offensive weapons with tight end Jonnu Smith and receiver Corey Davis leaving in free agency.

Bringing in Jones, and having him in the mix with Brown and running back Derrick Henry, provides a nice trifecta when it comes to weapons for quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

The question is whether or not the Titans want to do the necessary salary-cap maneuvering in order to absorb Jones’ contract this season. They’re currently near the bottom of the salary cap totem pole.

Titans players, however, haven’t been shy about what they’d like the team to do. Several have taken to social media to state the case.

A.J. Brown posted an Instagram message to Jones, indicating he was perfectly fine with Jones taking over the No. 1 receiver role.

“Trust me, if you want to carry the load, you can carry it, but if you get tired, you know I can carry you,” Brown said.

Henry also made a pitch for the Titans to land Jones. So the players seem on board, which adds to the appeal for Jones.

Jaguars

Cap space: Roughly $39 million

Receiver depth: DJ Chark, Laviska Shenault, Marvin Jones, Collin Johnson, Jamal Agnew, Phillip Dorsett, Jalen Camp, Terry Godwin, Tim Jones, Josh Hammond, Jon’Vea Johnson, Josh Imatorbhebhe.

Motivation: This is a team where cap space wouldn’t be an issue. It’s also a team that wants to surround Trevor Lawrence with as much talent as possible.

While the Jags signed Marvin Jones to enhance the receiver room with Shenault and Chark, and are going to utilize rookie back Travis Etienne in multiple spots, new head coach Urban Meyer might want as many elite receivers as possible to help Lawrence develop.

The Jags, however, might have to surrender one of their current top wideouts, possibly Shenault, along with a draft pick, perhaps a second-rounder, to make it work.

Shenault has three years left on his rookie deal, so he would serve as a low-cost option at receiver the Falcons could handle given their cap situation. At least, that’s the type of scenario they’re looking for.

From Meyer’s view, he’d love to rebuild the Jags as quickly as possible. He wants to change the culture, and get the turnaround in full swing with a successful season.

Acquiring Jones would help him do that. But at the same time, the Jags are still a few years away from truly competing.

It might not make the most sense going after a 32-year-old receiver, and spending future draft assets on him, while in the process of a rebuild.

Plus, Jones wants to go someplace he can win right away, if the Falcons accommodate his wish.

Colts

Cap space: Roughly $13 million

Receiver depth: T.Y. Hilton, Michael Pittman Jr., Parris Campbell, Zach Pascal, Dezmon Patmon, J.J. Nelson, Mike Strachan, Ashton Dulin, Tyler Vaughns, Quartney Davis, Gary Jennings, Tarik Black.

Motivation: Reviving Carson Wentz.

Their wide receiver room is decent, with Hilton, Pittman and Campbell, but if they truly want to resuscitate Wentz, they’ll add more.

Jones would fit nicely into Frank Reich’s offense, and provide Wentz with another dependable target.

With their cap situation, however, they’ll need the Falcons to take on part of Jones’ salary. That’s how it’s going to have to shake out for many of Jones’ suitors.

Historically, the Colts haven’t been shy when it comes to making big-time trades. Bringing in Wentz is one example. So was landing DeForest Buckner last year.

They’ll almost certainly be in the fight if the draft capital doesn’t involve a first-round pick.

If the Colts are looking down the road, though, they’re going to have other contracts to deal with, namely linebacker Darius Leonard, as well as offensive linemen Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith.

Getting Jones to restructure his deal will also be part of the equation for many teams.

Chargers

Cap space: Roughly $20 million

Receiver depth: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Josh Palmer, Tyron Johnson, Jalen Guyton, Joe Reed, KJ Hill, Jason Moore, Austin Proehl, John Hurst, Eli Stove.

Motivation: Having a stud quarterback on a rookie contract allows the Chargers to spend on other assets.

If the Bolts are smart, they’ll surround Justin Herbert with as much talent as possible before they have to break the bank on his second contract.

Currently, L.A. has a good one-two punch with Allen and Williams. They’re both top guns, so receiver is not a glaring need. But the Chargers lost star tight end Hunter Henry in free agency. And, after Allen and Williams, the cupboard is a bit thin in the receiver room.

Williams is also entering the final year of his rookie contract. So the Chargers might not want to extend him. They didn’t for Henry. So Jones, who has two more seasons beyond 2021, would provide a bit of insurance.

They have the cap space to make the move, and let’s remember, they’re in the Chiefs’ division. They need a lot of firepower to compete with Patrick Mahomes & Co.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, are also an under-the-radar option to land Jones. Andy Reid would love another weapon for Mahomes. But the Chargers have more cash. So they make a little more sense.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3uznGO2