Atlanta Falcons Leave Julio Jones With Little Leverage
By Kit Anderson
The Atlanta Falcons have informed Julio Jones he will not be getting a new contract this season. A decision leaving Jones with very little leverage to force the Falcons to offer a new deal.
Julio Jones is the most talented player on the Falcon’s roster period. Is he more valuable than Matt Ryan or as integral to the defense as Deion Jones? The answer is a blatantly obvious no. You can look back to the infamous Super Bowl season and see the Falcons winning games easily without Jones.
He is a star, but he is also a receiver a position teams like the New England Patriots have proven to be interchangeable.
Jones holding out early this year has gotten his message across. He is ready for a new deal one making him the highest paid receiver in the League. He is deserving of a such a deal when the time comes.
For now, however, the team has to focus on locking up other important pieces and told Jones they would not be giving him a new contract. They did add a caveat offering to renegotiate at the end of this season.
This position leaves Jones with little leverage and little reason to continue to hold out. Holding out and missing “Brotherhood” activities to spend time with T.O. has left a mark on his squeaky clean record.
Holding out longer will not get him a new contract and only further hurt his reputation. Julio is a smart player, he has to have considered this and it seems very unlikely his holdout will continue.
Jones is a generational talent the Falcons should do everything they can to keep happy within reason. But as all-time great, as he is Jones is still simply a receiver. He isn’t Matt Ryan or even the signal caller on defense, as important of a piece as he is the Falcons could win without him.
Something they may have to consider in the future if Julio’scontract demands are too crazy next off-season.
Regardless, Julio’s holdout should come to an end he has lost any leverage he had with the Falcon’s announcement there will be no new contract and the fact he has three years left on a generous deal.
More to come as the Falcons begin to arrive for mandatory camp a camp Julio is likely to show up for and begin to work towards what all Falcon’s fans want to see another Super Bowl run.