Julio Jones Trade Rumors: Rams 'Lurking'; Seahawks Discussing Deal; Titans in Play

The Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans are among the teams that continue to monitor a potential Julio Jones trade.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN updated the situation during an appearance Sunday on SportsCenter, noting the Rams and Seahawks are hesitant about the combination of draft picks and salary required to pull off a deal:

"Teams are still having a problem with some of the money involved, the draft-pick capital they'd have to give up. I think the Rams are in that boat, so [they] haven't been overly involved in recent days, but the Rams are always lurking. They're always willing to give up first-round picks. Now, let's go to Seattle, another team that's typically aggressive on the trade market. Russell Wilson, we saw 'Let Russ Cook' all year, especially those first eight to 10 games. Probably the best deep-ball thrower in the entire league. He loves Julio Jones, would love to play for him. Seattle knows that. I think they would have a little bit of a problem with the money, that $15 million salary. They wouldn't want to do that and give up a high pick, I know that. But they are at least internally still discussing this. Now, Tennessee and Ryan Tannehill. Tennessee came up the most around the league this last week on teams that could be aggressive in getting Julio. I know they're still monitoring the situation. Still have some interest to some degree but haven't really pulled the trigger on this yet."

The latest news comes amid Fowler's report from Saturday that said Jones wants to play for a contender that has a "big-armed" quarterback. The Rams (Matthew Stafford), Seahawks (Russell Wilson) and Titans (Ryan Tannehill) all fit the criteria. It could be said that neither Stafford nor Tannehill is better than Matt Ryan, but the Rams and Titans are in a far better position to contend for a Super Bowl than Atlanta. 

FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Titans and Seahawks as co-favorites to land Jones at +300. Seattle has been among the fastest risers in the odds in recent weeks, while the Titans have regularly been mentioned as a fit since rumors regarding a Jones trade have cropped up.

Movement on a Jones trade has been slow for one word with two different meanings: compensation. Teams are both wary of Jones' $15.3 million price tag and the Falcons' desire to land a high draft pick(s) in any trade.

Atlanta's logic makes plenty of sense. Jones is on the Mount Rushmore of greatest Falcons in franchise history and remains highly effective. While he was limited to nine games last season, he still put up 51 catches for 771 yards and three touchdowns and set a career high with a 75 percent catch rate. The 2020 season was the first time Jones had missed three or more games in a season since 2013.

Jones' $15.3 million salary is also below the going rate for most elite players at his position.

That said, cap room around the NFL is scarce, and it may require a contract extension or restructuring for some teams to add Jones. That creates a layer of long-term obligation for a 32-year-old whose best days may be behind him, all while likely giving up a first- or second-round draft choice.

Jones is almost certain to get traded this offseason, but the interested parties appear to be waiting until the last possible minute to get him at his lowest possible price.