Travis Kelce on Chiefs Possibly Trading for Julio Jones: 'That's a Game-Changer'
People around the NFL have had their eyes on the saga surrounding Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones and his potential trade destinations for quite some time, but the story took another step forward this past week.
Chiefs Kingdom has been enamored with the idea of adding Jones to the Chiefs' already-potent offense. As the conversation has evolved into the idea of Jones coming to Kansas City, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has given his take on the matter.
The All-Pro went on ESPN's NFL Live on Tuesday and was asked about Jones potentially joining the offensive in Kansas City, and he seemed to be all for it.
"I’ll tell you what, I’m intrigued," Kelce said. "My eyes are open, I’m peeking at the headlines seeing where it goes. Listen, that’s a game-changer when you talk about guys that can make plays anywhere on the field, full route tree no matter where you put him. I mean that’s a guy that changes the game and changes teams, so I’m interested to see where he lands."
Jones is entering his 11th season in the league. The 32-year-old has had quite a career in Atlanta, earning seven Pro-Bowl selections and making two All-Pro teams. In 135 games, Jones has collected 848 receptions for 12,896 career yards and 60 touchdowns. Jones has led the NFL in receiving yards twice in his career while he's led the league in receptions once.
There are several hurdles the Chiefs face if they would like to land Jones on their roster, the first being compensation. With Jones requesting the trade, Kansas City will need to meet the demands of the Falcons. ESPN's Adam Schefter has previously reported Atlanta has been asking for a first-round pick.
Another obstacle to the acquisition will be Jones's contract. The wide receiver holds a cap hit of just over $19.2 million for 2021, according to Spotrac, though any team who trades for Jones would only be responsible for his base salary of just over $15 million in 2021 and $11.5 million in 2022. It is estimated by Spotrac that the Chiefs only have about $8.2 million of cap space remaining for 2021.
