Julio Jones told Shannon Sharpe that he is “outta there” when asked about his future in Atlanta. Could Urban Meyer make a move to try and add yet another weapon to his new offense?
Why Jones?
Julio Jones is one of the best wide receivers of the century. Many will point to his injury-riddled seasons in arguments. Despite that fact, Jones has a career average of 95.5 receiving yards per game. The 32-year-old would be an asset on any team that would be able to afford him. He is 6’3″ and 220 pounds, but can run under a 4.40-second 40-yard dash. Simply put, this man is a beast and terrific athlete if anything.
In nine games last year, Julio Jones caught 51 passes for 771 yards and three touchdowns. In his career (135 games), Jones has caught 848 passes for 12896 yards and 60 touchdowns.
Why Jacksonville?
As stated before, the team that would make the trade for Julio Jones would need to have plenty of cap space. That’s where the Jacksonville Jaguars come in to play, the team that has the most cap space in the NFL.
In addition, Coach Urban Meyer and the Jags have already shown that they want to create a juggernaut offense. They signed wide receiver Marvin Jones who led the Lions with 978 receiving yards last year. Jacksonville then surprised many by taking running back Travis Etienne with their second pick in the draft. Also, Tim Tebow was signed last week as a tight end. Even if he doesn’t get a starting role, Tebow is an athlete and can provide meaningful practice squad reps.
Trading for Julio Jones would be a big move with a team most likely needing to give up a first-round pick or a second-round pick, plus more. Not only that, but that team would then take on Jones’s three-year, $38.3 million contract.
Urban Meyer doesn’t want to blow his chance as an NFL coach, and trading for Julio Jones would give his young quarterback anything he could ask for.