Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has opted not to show up for the start of OTAs as he looks to get the team to rework his contract. Falcons owner Arthur Blank admitted that this contract situation is just something that they have to go through and didn’t seem overly concerned.

But in an exclusive one-on-one conversation with 11Alive Sports' Alex Glaze, Blank added a bit more assurance that there is nothing for Falcons fans to worry about with regard to Jones' long-term future with the franchise.

“I love Julio. He loves me. He loves Atlanta. He's going to be here forever,” Blank said. “We'll talk to him directly about that, and that's between us and him. We've always treated our players respectively, competitively and done whatever we have to do to make a winning team on the field.”

Blank certainly has a history of putting his money where his mouth is in terms of taking care of his stars. That’s why Devonta Freeman is the highest paid running back in the league (excluding LeVeon Bell’s franchise tag) and Matt Ryan is the highest paid player (for now). It feels like just a matter of time that Jones also gets another big payday.

Jones has obviously remained incredibly productive over the past few years and may even be considered a bargain in his current deal. Blank likely acknowledges that he’ll have to pay up to keep him. And as he alluded to, he’ll probably do so if that’s what it takes to keep an elite talent like Jones in Atlanta for the long haul.