Sources: Falcons likely to trade Jones to Titans - 3 minutes read


The Atlanta Falcons are expected to trade wide receiver Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans, barring any setbacks, in the next 24 to 48 hours, according to sources.

The two sides still are finalizing compensation but, as one source said, "I feel very good about this."

Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the Falcons and Titans are discussing whether the package for Jones will be a second- and a fifth-round pick, or a second-round pick with a swap of other picks.

If there are no snags, the trade would be processed as early as Monday.

Titans players Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown have expressed, on social media, their interest in having Jones as a teammate. Late last month, Brown posted a TikTok video to Jones explaining why the Titans would be the perfect fit for the star receiver.

The Titans lost two of their top pass catchers in free agency as wide receiver Corey Davis signed with the New York Jets and tight end Jonnu Smith signed with the New England Patriots.

Jones has been the subject of trade conversation over the past two months as Atlanta tries to remedy its salary-cap situation. On FS1 on May 24, Jones said "I'm outta there" when asked about the Falcons in a telephone call with Shannon Sharpe on the network's "Undisputed" show. It is unclear whether Jones knew the phone call was being televised.

Jones, whose base salary of $15.3 million is fully guaranteed for this season, is scheduled to cost the Falcons $23.05 million against the cap in 2021 and has cap hits of $19.263 million in 2022 and 2023. By moving him after June 1, it offers the Falcons relief against the cap this season because the dead money owed to him would be split between this season and next.

Jones, 32, is the Falcons' career leader in catches (848) and yards (12,896) and is second to Roddy White in touchdown receptions (63). His 95.5 receiving yards per game is the best per-game average in NFL history, almost 10 full yards better than first-ballot Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson, who is second at 86.1 yards per game.

Jones, though, had one of his worst seasons in 2020, limited to nine games due to injury with 51 catches for 771 yards and three touchdowns. While his 15.1 yards per catch was his highest since 2017 and his catch percentage of 75 percent was the best of his career, his 85.7 yards per game was his lowest since 2012, his second year in the league.

The Falcons do have options to fill in for Jones. Calvin Ridley, whose fifth-year option Atlanta picked up in May, would slide into the No. 1 role and a combination of 2021 first-round pick Kyle Pitts, Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus and sixth-round pick Frank Darby could see bigger roles with Jones now elsewhere.

ESPN's Michael Rothstein contributed to this report.




Source: www.espn.com - NFL