Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is another player who is under contract with his NFL team but has decided to skip mandatory minicamp in search of a better deal for his services. In 2011, he signed an extension worth about $72 million with the Falcons that made him the highest paid receiver at the time. Since then the market has shifted dramatically and there are plenty of receivers who have a higher salary than Jones.
According to Yahoo Sports, there are seven receivers who have a higher average salary than Jones.
- Antonio Brown
- Mike Evans
- AJ Green
- DeAndre Hopkins
- Sammy Watkins
- Jarvis Landry
- Davante Adams
Judging from Jones consistent production and his major role in the Falcons offense most if not everyone will agree that he’s outplayed his current deal and is due for a bigger salary. The Falcons may feel that the time to negotiate is when this contract is up and not when they’re looking to prepare for their upcoming 2018 season.
We will see if Jones and his camp will stick to their demands for a new contract. A twist to this whole story is that the Falcons feel uneasy about Jones working out with the polarizing Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens instead of attending minicamp with the rest of the team. Its being reported by Atlanta Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter that
“The fact that he’s running around with Terrell Owens has the front office uneasy,” Ledbetter said, a line that, if accurate, will only send this entire fiasco into orbit.
Ledbetter said the relationship between the Falcons and Jones is “in a bad place right now,” and Falcons fans have to hope that the presence of Owens isn’t making matters worse.
The two were seen working out today on social media where Julio was seen clocking T.O. running the 40 yard dash in less than 4.5 seconds. Looks like Julio could learn some things about being a wide receiver from a hall of fame talent such as T.O. We will see if this in fact is drama or the two sides can agree to a resolution prior to the start of the 2018 season. Flip the page for videos of the two working out including T.O. running the 40 yard dash.