KC Chiefs: Cost for trading for Julio Jones was too steep

On paper, the trade made sense for a lot of reasons. However, the ultimate cost likely kept the K.C. Chiefs from being able to best the offer of the Tennessee Titans in a deal for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones.

For weeks, the rumors surrounding Jones were that it would require a second-round pick in order to secure the Falcons star wideout in a deal. Some sources leaked that the Falcons were looking for a first-round pick, but that seemed a tall order for an aging player coming off of a season limited by injury.

Still there were numerous teams interested in Jones in the end, given his completely body of work and his production displayed even in a limited season. Jones had a string of six consecutive Pro Bowl appearances stalled last season, but he still had 51 catches for 771 yards in only 9 games in 2020. He’s also a single season removed from 99 catches and over 1,300 yards receiving.

Julio Jones was going to cost too much in a trade for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs were a team often linked to Jones, but it was mostly about the fit for an offense lacking a clear second dynamic option apart from Tyreek Hill among the team’s wide receivers. Sammy Watkins had filled that role in years past, but the Chiefs’ attempt to chase down someone like JuJu Smith-Schuster or T.Y. Hilton in free agency had come up empty. That previous interest in a receiver made it a reasonable assumption that the Chiefs could be interested in Jones.

What fueled the fire even more for Kansas City was the clear win-now window available to them and the aggressive nature of general manager Brett Veach. When he couldn’t lure Trent Williams in free agency, he traded for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. of the Baltimore Ravens. He’s also traded a future first round pick (and then some) for pass rusher Frank Clark.

However, the Chiefs also realize that the win-now window will remain open as long as Patrick Mahomes is healthy and the roster is somewhat balanced around him. Allowing it to become too top-heavy with expensive stars could become a long-term issue, and maintaining top draft assets is going to be key for the Chiefs full array of investments down the road.

Sacrificing a second-round choice is one thing, but the Titans won the sweepstakes for Jones by also including a fourth-round pick in 2022. Even if the Chiefs could match that offer, the Titans would still have the better option for the Falcons due to the fact that they’re likely to pick earlier than Kansas City. In short, the Chiefs would have likely had to throw in a higher pick in 2023 in order to sway the Falcons to go to them instead. Could the Chiefs really surrender a second-round pick and a third-rounder the following year?

In the end, their penchant for picking at or near the bottom of each round, their need for cost-controlled young players in future seasons, and the Titans’ willingness to throw in two solid draft picks likely made this deal too costly for the Chiefs in the end. How interested they were all along, however, is something we might never know.