Julio Jones ‘done’ with Falcons … NY Giants should try to pry him away
If Julio Jones is legitimately available, NY Giants general manager Dave Gettleman must absolutely try to pry him away from the Atlanta Falcons
If Julio Jones gets his way, he’ll never play another snap for the Atlanta Falcons.
Jones, arguably the game’s most dominant wide receiver, even at age 32, would be an ideal target for NY Giants general manager Dave Gettleman and ideal fit in quarterback Daniel Jones’ arsenal in the passing game.
Acquiring Jones won’t be cheap, but if Gettleman and the NY Giants are serious about competing for Super Bowls over the next two-to-three seasons, and building a supporting cast that facilitates Daniel Jones developing into a franchise quarterback, this is the type of bold move Gettleman must explore.
Jones has $38 million left over the final three years of his contract, and is coming off a difficult season in which he caught only 51 passes for 771 yards and three touchdowns, but remains one of the most gifted and dangerous receivers in the NFL.
Gettleman and the NY Giants have already sunk significant resources into the receiver position this offseason, but Jones would elevate Daniel Jones’ supporting cast to one of the most talented in the league.
An argument can be made that with Jones and free agent acquisition Kenny Golladay on the outside with Sterling Shepard or first-round rookie Kadarius Toney in the slot, that the NY Giants would field among the strongest receiving corps in the league. It would certainly be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
It would take some creativity to fit Jones under the cap, as the NY Giants currently have just $4.6 million in cap space this season, but have $107 million to spend in 2023.
What could help the NY Giants in a pursuit of Jones is the fact that Gettleman was able to acquire an additional first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft from the Chicago Bears during a draft weekend trade. If the Falcons would accept multiple second-round picks, that would obviously be ideal for the NY Giants, but if Atlanta demands a first-rounder in return, Gettleman is armed with the resources to pull off a blockbuster.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs have shown in recent seasons that the quickest route to winning a Super Bowl is with premier talent at the skill positions, and Jones would certainly complete quite the college of weapons; along with Golladay, Shepard, running back Saquon Barkley, and Evan Engram.
Hot. Breaking down Giants' roster locks, bubble players, more. light
Matt Lombardo is FanSided’s National NFL Insider and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday. Email Matt: Matt.Lombardo@FanSided.com, Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL