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Only three years after signing a $ 14.25 million contract per season until 2020, Julio Jones is looking for a new contract. The distant receiver decided not to attend Falcons' off-season training sessions without an "up-to-date" contract. He will not show up at the training camp either.
When players are not satisfied with their contracts, it is usually easy to determine why. Either the player has outperformed his contract or the NFL market has changed. A player could also be in the last year of his contract and he fears that something could derail his free agency the following season.
None of these situations apply to Jones.
Jones's statistics look like what they were when he signed his latest extension. Its contract still ranks among broad receivers in many key parameters, including annual value (eighth), first-year cash (fourth), three-year cash flow (seventh), and collateral (third). ). And since he has three years of contract left and the free agency is not a concern, it is even harder to understand Jones' ultimate goal with a holdout.
Although the WR market has not changed dramatically, in which lesser players (Sammy Watkins, Jarvis Landry, Davante Adams) have signed contracts that carry a higher average per year than Jones's. The Falcons star can certainly argue that he is better than these players.
However, there are a number of positional markets on which better players end up dragging small players at some point during their contracts. Matt Matt's quarterback, for example, followed Derek Carr, Matthew Stafford and Joe Flacco before the Atlanta smuggler signed his new contract.
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The fact that Jones' guaranteed salary is exhausted may be at the center of his dissatisfaction. This concern may be prompted by the recent release of Dez Bryant by the Cowboys, who were cut with two unsecured years remaining on his contract.
But for Jones, the Bryant saga should be nothing but a minor consideration. Obviously, Jones will be part of the team this year, so he could also consider his salary of $ 10.5 million guaranteed. There is virtually no chance that Atlanta will release him of his $ 12.5 million salary next year, unless there is a catastrophic injury. Bryant was ineffective (at least at the level of his salary) for almost three years before being cut. Jones could survive a bad season.
There are only a few reasons why a Jones holdup would make sense. He might seek to hit while the iron is hot and sneak in an increase, or he might want better liquidity in his contract.
Although Jones's wages over the next two years are not irrelevant with the market, will be outside the top 10 among the receivers. Falcons are in win-now mode, and teams with this state of mind want to avoid distractions. Atlanta just spent a mini-fortune on Ryan, and the last thing he wants is the best QB target absent from practice. So there could be a compromise window.
Although there would be almost no precedent for an NFL team to give a great extension to a player who is still three years old on his contract, there is a precedent for changing a situation .
A few years ago, the Steelers transferred $ 4 million into the salary of receptionist Antonio Brown for more recent contract years in order to avoid a hold-out. This has not changed the fundamentals of the contract; it simply changed the compensation schedule. Last year, the Patriots added incentives at the end of Rob Gronkowski's contract and gave him a chance to win an additional $ 5.5 million. This year, the Broncos have done something similar for cornerback Chris Harris.
The difference between these three players and Jones is that the first three contracts were not in line with the market. Brown was paid as a No. 2 receiver. Gronkowski had become a transcendent player. Harris had signed a terrible contract that was paying him as a # 2 turn at the middle level, and a run at the free agency would have allowed him to earn millions of dollars more per season. These teams had more logical reasons to make moves with their players than the Falcons had with Jones.
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Still, Atlanta should be willing to make a move. The team could do something like what Pittsburgh did with Brown and move $ 2 million into Jones' salary from 2019 to 2018. Although the incentive route might be preferred, the Falcons are tight on the road. Salary ceiling space, and having space this year for all the incentives that he could win. They can probably give a partial guarantee for next year on his contract to make it better.
If it turns out that Jones is looking for a lot more money or an extension, then the Falcons should play hard. The teams simply do not renegotiate with players who still have so many years to play, and the Falcons have all the leverage – a defeat of the season would cost Jones $ 12.9 million [19659018]. postpone any real contract extension to the future.
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