FLOWERY BRANCH – With the draft and rookie minicamp over, the Falcons will shift their front-office focus to working on a long-term contract for wide receiver Julio Jones.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
“That’s where we’ll continue to focus right now,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “He’s an important part of making sure that we get things accomplished in the relatively near future.”
When pressed for a timetable, Dimitroff was vague. However, it’s reasonable to conclude that the Falcons would like to have a deal done before training camp starts in late July from his “relatively near future” remark.
Jones has played four mostly stellar seasons. He did reinjure his ankle in the 2013 season and played in just five games. He came back strong from the injury and turned in a Pro Bowl season in 2014.
Dimitroff has said the team is not concerned about Jones injury history.
The Falcons, Cowboys, Broncos and Bengals all have a similar problem in figuring out the market value for their prized wide receivers. Dez Bryant, Demariyius Thomas and A.J. Green are all up for contract extensions.
All could make a claim to join Detroit wide receiver Calvin Johnson’s $113.45 million neighborhood. The first to sign could set the new mark.
Jones and Green, who were selected fourth and sixth overall in the 2011 draft, are both set to enter the option year of their rookie contracts.
Bryant and Thomas have been slapped with the franchise tag.
If the Falcons can’t iron out a deal with Jones, they could retain him with the franchise tag in 2016 – about $13 million -- while then buying more time to figure out the market place. The teams appear to have the leverage in these negotiations.
"No one has been able to really figure out what they think the market should be," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told the Dallas Morning News.
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