Atlanta Falcons won’t give their All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones a new contract; at least not this season. Jones has been asking for a new deal for some time now and even decided to sit out offseason workouts hoping Falcons will cave in.
Julio Jones is entering the third year of his five-year, $71.25 million, contract extension signed in 2015, which made his chances of getting a new deal really slim. NFL teams rarely even discuss new deals with players that have two years left on their deals, let alone three. Still, the team won’t ignore Jones’ request in full. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Falcons promised the player that they will discuss a new deal after 2018.
It remains to be seen whether Julio Jones will stay firm in his desire to get a new contract. He could decide to skip training camp and preseason games in order to pressure the organization. Still, the Falcons will most likely stand by their decision, given the fact that they need to work out an extension of players who are entering the final year of their contracts like Grady Jarrett, Jake Matthews, and Ricardo Allen.
Julio Jones was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons as the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. During his eight seasons in the league, he received First-team All-Pro honors two times and earned five Pro-Bowl selections. In 2017, he had 88 receptions for 1,444 yards and three touchdowns.
