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Julio Jones Trade Rumors: Seahawks 'Would Love to Have' WR amid 49ers, Rams Buzz
May 31, 2021
The bidding war for Julio Jones is growing and multiple teams in the NFC West would like to complete a trade with the Atlanta Falcons.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler provided the latest info involving the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams:
"I'm told Seattle has had a discussion about Julio Jones, certainly they would love to have him. You know, so you look into how to acquire such a player, what would you have to give up and could you pay such a salary at $15 million in guarantees. And so, after asking around, there would be some mild surprise from some people in Seattle if they got this done because they just don't have a lot of draft capital, no first-round picks next year.
"In fact, the team I hear most frequently when I ask of league circles is the San Francisco 49ers. They have nearly $20 million in cap space, you got the Kyle Shanahan connection. Also hear some Rams as well, so this is building up to a potential NFC West arms race. For these teams, none of them have a first-round pick next year, they give them away like church flyers. You know, they don't mind making trades, but at some point, do they have enough capital to try to get a guy like this? And teams are going to ask Atlanta to pay some of this salary and that's going to be a little bit of the tug-of-war in this situation."
While none of these teams have a first-round pick, Peter King of NBC Sports reported the Falcons would accept a "hard second-round pick," as in no conditions about playing time. The new team would also be responsible for all of Jones' $38 million owed over the next three seasons.
Dianna Russini of ESPN also reported the Seahawks had discussions about a trade for Jones, noting quarterback Russell Wilson spoke to the receiver about playing together.
It would add another weapon to Seattle's passing attack, which already includes DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
Wilson is already coming off one of the best years of his career, throwing 40 touchdown passes and 4,212 passing yards while leading the team to a 12-4 record. These numbers could further improve when you add a player who has seven Pro Bowl selections in 10 years in the NFL.
Hamstring injuries limited Jones to just nine games last season, but he still contributed with 51 catches for 771 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
The impact could make him a must-have player, especially when others in the division are also interested. The Seahawks likely know the Rams or 49ers would also have an exciting offense when you add Jones alongside Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods or Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.
Jones appears likely to move somewhere this offseason He told Shannon Sharpe on Undisputed that he's "out of there," referring to Atlanta. The biggest question now is which team will land the superstar.