Seahawks Reportedly Interested in Falcons WR Julio Jones, But Trade Remains Improbable
As he has said countless times during his 11-year tenure as general manager of the Seahawks, John Schneider never leaves a stone unturned when it comes to trying to improve the team's roster, even when it comes to upgrading positions of strength.
According to Dianna Russini of ESPN, Seattle has been in active discussions with Atlanta about a possible trade for disgruntled receiver Julio Jones. Quarterback Russell Wilson has also reportedly been working behind the scenes talking to the perennial All-Pro about playing together.
Per sources, the Falcons have been fielding calls about Jones for months after he requested a trade, as new general manager Terry Fontenot inherited a salary cap disaster from his predecessor Thomas Dimitroff. The franchise currently only has $337,000 in cap room per OverTheCap.com and has yet to sign their rookie class.
While trade rumors had already been circulating for quite some time, when asked about his future with Atlanta by host Shannon Sharpe on FS1's Undisputed last week, Jones candidly declared, "I'm out of there."
Since those comments, trade talks have heated up, with numerous teams such as the Titans, Rams, and 49ers among others being linked to Jones as potential suitors. Players such as Titans receiver A.J. Brown and Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey have made "recruiting pitches" on social media.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why teams and players would be chomping at the bit for the chance to acquire the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Jones, who has produced six seasons of 1,300 or more receiving yards in the past seven years and earned five All-Pro selections during that span. One of the most prolific receivers of all-time, he ranks 20th in NFL history for receiving yardage (14,580), 29th for receptions (848), and first in receiving yards per game (95.5).
Now, despite having a talented receiving corps already headlined by DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and incoming rookie D'Wayne Eskridge, the Seahawks have apparently thrown their hat into the ring for the future Hall of Famer. But while Schneider may have inquired and Wilson may be lobbying for a deal to happen, a blockbuster trade still seems highly, highly unlikely for several reasons.
For one, Seattle currently doesn't have the cap space to absorb Jones' contract, as he will bring a $15.3 million cap hit to whichever team acquires him. His cap number exceeds $19 million in 2022 and 2023, though a portion of that will have already have been paid by Atlanta in signing bonuses. In the short-term, Wilson or linebacker Bobby Wagner could have their contracts restructured to create instant cap relief to facilitate a move.
Nonetheless, Lockett recently received a lucrative four-year extension and Metcalf will be ready to break the bank on his second contract, so trying to squeeze in Jones' salary beyond this year would be very tricky for Schneider and cap guru Matt Thomas to pull off. From a roster construction standpoint, it would severely hinder them being able to pay players at other positions in the future as well.
Secondly, the Seahawks already will be without their first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft after trading for safety Jamal Adams last July. They would likely have to part with a second-round pick and additional compensation to be able to swing a deal with the Falcons, who reportedly have been offered a first-round pick by another team. This would leave them with one pick in the first three rounds for a second straight year and next year's draft is expected to be a significantly better class overall.
Last but not least, acquiring Jones likely wouldn't put the Seahawks over the top in the NFC. Though he's still a very productive player at 32 years of age - he recorded 771 receiving yards in just nine games for a bad Falcons squad in 2020 - Seattle should already have one of the best passing attacks in the league with Wilson having Metcalf, Lockett, Eskridge, and tight end Gerald Everett at his disposal.
Adding an aging Jones to the mix would be an expensive luxury move in every sense and it's difficult to envision the team getting reasonable bang for their buck with so many mouths to feed in an offense that has generally been more run-oriented than most.
This isn't to say that Jones playing alongside Metcalf and Lockett wouldn't be fun. Opposing defensive coordinators might not get much sleep preparing for an offense featuring those three weapons on the outside. Wilson couldn't make any excuses with that amount of firepower around him, and after airing his grievances on a number of fronts this offseason, that may be part of the reason Seattle has looked into such a trade in the first place. They want to keep their star quarterback happy at all costs.
Given their cap constraints, lack of draft capital, and the amount of talent already at receiver, however, the chances of the Seahawks actually landing Jones seem improbable. This feels like a typical example of the team simply checking in more than anything. But Schneider has proven on multiple occasions he's willing to roll the dice when nobody sees it coming and with the organization in win-now mode amid the arms race that is the NFC West, nothing should ever be completely ruled out.
