Julio Jones trade rumors: Titans, Seahawks latest teams linked to wide receiver

The K.C. Chiefs have been mentioned as a potential home. So have the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. The New England Patriots are rumored to have had discussions on the subject, and now the latest rumors have the Tennessee Titans as the favorites to land him while the Seattle Seahawks are reportedly in the mix. In other words, the Julio Jones trade rumors have about a quarter of all NFL teams involved in some way or another.

With so much smoke it feels as if a deal could come sooner than later, but here we are after several days of rumors swirling with no end in sight. Jones clearly seems done in Atlanta, and the Falcons have made no real secret of shopping him around, with the reported cost being something akin to a second round draft choice as the foundation for any trade.

At this point, the Falcons are in salary cap hell, which is the primary reason why they would consider dealing a franchise face for the lowest possible value. Jones was also injured for several games last season and is clearly in the second half of his career. Just how much he has left in the tank remains to be seen, but even after being out for several games in ’20, most people would still place him in the top five wide receivers in the game today. That’s going to generate interest every time.

For the Chiefs, there are questions of need and cost, but general manager Brett Veach is a proven opportunist who strikes if there’s a chance to make an impact move. He’s been first in line to sign running backs like LeSean McCoy and Le’Veon Bell when cut, and he also won the chance to sign defensive tackle Jarran Reed earlier this offseason when Seattle released him. He swung for the fences in signings like Sammy Watkins and trades for Frank Clark and Orlando Brown. In short, we’ve learned never to count him out.

At this point, however, the Chiefs haven’t been mentioned too frequently in the latest rumors. Pro Football Talk is reporting that the Titans are the most likely home in ’21 for Jones after 10 seasons in Atlanta. There’s a definite need and fit there, and Atlanta would likely want Jones to head to the AFC anyway instead of dealing him within their own conference or even division. However, on Sunday, this also came out.

Jones has also mentioned wanting to play with Cam Newton, who is in New England, earlier this offseason as well, so there are myriad factors in play. Most important, however, will be the team willing to pay the right price to Falcons GM Terry Fontenot.

Who will come out on top? Will the trade rumors ever lead to something of substance? With the change of the calendar to June 1 coming soon, we should see something official take place when the Falcons can make it work financially.