Through the last several weeks, there has been a litany of scrutiny on All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones' standing with the Atlanta Falcons. His decision to remain away from the team throughout much of this offseason has increased the attention on his assumed desire to see an uptick in his salary.
Despite Jones stating that this situation isn't due to his desire for a new reworked contract, his continued absence has raised eyebrows. In response, general manager Thomas Dimitroff released a statement on behalf of the organization on Monday regarding the 29-year-old's decision to not attend minicamp.
“We have been in contact with Julio and his representation. We will not discuss those conversations publicly except to say we feel they have been productive and constructive. We understand the concerns and thoughts from their perspective. Although not ideal, Julio informed us today he would not be attending mini-camp.
“We have much respect for him and what he means to our team, our city and our fans.”
Although this isn't a good look by any means, the fact that both sides have had constant communication could bode well for something being worked out in the near future. The longer this situation persists, the more clear that the message is that he isn't happy with his current contract.
Jones is currently in the third year of his five-year, $71.2 million deal that has roughly $39.2 million remaining. He is scheduled to make roughly over $14 million for the 2018 campaign; that salary makes him the eighth highest-paid player at his position. There have been several other players over the last few months who have received more lucrative annual salaries, such as Sammy Watkins, DaVante Adams, Mike Evans, and Jarvis Landry.
The Falcons are now being pushed further into the corner of having to assess Jones' contract to possibly make him the highest-paid wide receiver in the league. It is a complex situation that could become more prominent around the organization the closer we get to the start of the 2018 season.
Follow Us
Subscribe