Ever since he made it to the NFL as the 6th pick of the 2011 draft, Julio Jones has been considered one of the best wide receivers in the game. In fact, some even claim heās one of the greatest to ever do it in the history of football.
However, Jonesās injury-riddled career hasnāt found the success he looked poised to. Thus far, heās only made it to one Super Bowl and it doesnāt seem like the Atlanta Falcons have enough talent around him to make it back to the ultimate stage.
So, now that the Falcons will likely enter rebuild mode and that trading Julio Jones is on the table for the first time ever, there will certainlybe plenty of teams lining up to acquire the soon-to-be 32 years old.
Whether a team will be willing to meet the Falconsā asking price for him is yet to be seen, as he has a long history of injuries and isnāt getting any younger. But, for now, weāll let you know about the top 3 most likely and realistic trade destinations for him.
3. Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts still need to figure out whoās going to be their starting quarterback next season, as Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett will both be free agents. There have been some rumors about a potential trade for Carson Wentz or Sam Darnold, as the quarterback free-agent class in 2021 isnāt exactly deep.
The Colts currently have the third-most cap space in the NFL and could easily absorb Jonesā $23+ million salary. They also have mid-round draft capital that could be appealing to Atlantaand a defense that could help them make a deep run in the playoffs.
2. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a run-heavy team but to be fair, they donāt have much of a choice. Other than Marquise Brown ā whoās been unimpressive, to say the least ā and Mark Andrews, they donāt have much of a threat in the passing game.
Lamar Jackson has been better with his legs than with his arm, but adding a top-tier receiver like Julio Jones could certainly make his job easier. This team has won 10+ games in back-to-back seasons and could be Super Bowl-bound with just a couple of pieces, so thereās no reason to think that they wonāt call to ask about Julio Jones.
1. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins could actually put together the best trade package for Julio Jones. They have plenty of draft capital and very good selections from the trades theyāve madeand have enough cap space to fit Julio Jonesā salary into their books.
The Dolphins already have a great wideout in DeVante Parker and are reportedly pretty sold on Tua Tagovailoa as their starter going forward. The Buffalo Bills are still clearly ahead of them in the AFC East but they were one win again of making the playoffs this season. Trade for Julio, run it back, and let Tua Time begin.
