Freddie Falcon
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- Mar 16, 2019
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There are those around the league who think the Falcons and Julio Jones already have a deal, and just have to wait until the July 26 anniversary of his last pay raise to consummate it.
If that’s the case, it would explain why Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff doesn’t seem stressed about it.
Via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, Dimitroff seemed pretty relaxed for a guy about to sign his third major deal in the last few weeks, after paying defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and linebacker Deion Jones.
“We have the utmost faith that Julio is coming here and he’s taking care of his business while he’s here, and we’ll keep plugging away with [Jones’ agent] Jimmy [Sexton],” Dimitroff said. “We have a very good working relationship and respect for Jimmy Sexton and CAA, and I’m confident [the deal] will get done.”
Jones reported to camp on time, as he said he would based on the word of owner Arthur Blank that a new deal was forthcoming. He’s been on the field, doing some individual drills before adjourning to do rehab work on a side field. Coach Dan Quinn said that light work had everything to do with Jones coming off a minor offseason foot procedure (cutting off another bunion), and nothing to do with the contract situation.
While other wide receivers may be waiting for Jones to gauge their own markets, that doesn’t seem to be a hangup here, and we could find out Friday if this thing is truly already in the bag. Jones had two years left on his current deal, and is the 12th-highest-paid player at his position. He is not the 12th-best receiver in the league. He sat out last year waiting for a bump, but Dimitroff said things have always gone relatively smoothly.
“Julio’s been nothing but great with us over the years,” Dimitroff said. “Even last year, when it got a little bit dusty during that time, we were able to sit down and work through it. I thought we worked through it cleanly.
“We understand being the highest-paid receiver in the NFL. And the fact that Julio is approaching it the way he is is appreciated. That said, we expect nothing less from Julio Jones, one of our main leaders on this team.”
Having him on hand certainly removes any potential heat from the process, but if it’s largely done already, it explains why everyone is so casual about the situation.