NFL Trade Rumors: Patriots, Seahawks Didn't Want to Pay Julio Jones' Full Contract

The Tennessee Titans won the Julio Jones sweepstakes after a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, mainly because they were the only team willing to take on the receiver's salary, according to Peter King of NBC Sports.

Jones is owed $38 million over the next three years, including a base salary of $15.3 million in 2021, per Spotrac. This was enough to rule out the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks despite speculation about their interest over the past month.

"New England never had serious interest in committing $38 million to a 32-year-old receiver," King reported. "Seattle was interested but not for huge money."

Tennessee took on the contract and sent two draft picks to Atlanta in exchange for Jones and a 2023 sixth-round pick.

A second-round draft pick and a mid-round swap is seemingly a low cost for a player who has seven Pro Bowl selections in 10 years in the NFL, but the contract was a sticking point for a lot of teams.

"Jones is a fantastic player when healthy, but the combination of what he's owed, plus the fact he doesn't practice much now and missed nearly half the season last year, kept his future value down," King added.

Jones missed seven games because of hamstring issues in 2020, although he still finished with 51 catches for 771 yards when he was on the field. He also only missed four regular-season games over the previous six years, tallying at least 80 catches for 1,300 yards in each season during that stretch.

There is also more flexibility on Jones' contract after the trade.

If the move doesn't work out for Tennessee, the team can release the receiver next offseason with only $2 million in dead cap. There are no cap ramifications if the organization cuts him before the 2023 campaign.

In the meantime, the Titans add an elite player to an offense that already has Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown. After going 11-5 last year, the squad should have high expectations going into 2021.