Julio Jones likely to be traded before training camp begins?

The chances of a Julio Jones trade look more and more likely as the NFL moves into the latter part of the offseason.

Peter King of NBC Sports recently revealed on his podcast that after speaking with Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot, he got the sense that a Jones trade was more likely than not before training camp.

“The one other thing I left there with is that I don’t think because Julio Jones wasn’t traded on draft weekend, I don’t think that means that he won’t be traded,” King said. “And in fact, I’d say it’s better than 50-50 that he will be traded before training camp begins.

“The reason is, obviously the Falcons are basically in cap jail right now, and they could clear an awful lot of space by trading Julio Jones June 2 or after. Meaning they could separate his cap hit into two years, instead of taking it all now. So, that’s why I still think there’s a good chance he’s gonna get traded.”

King adds that the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, and New England Patriots could be interested parties. A second-round pick might be enough to get a deal done for the 32-year-old receiver.

It’s the second time we’ve heard about a potential Jones trade in the last couple weeks. The team is currently roughly $14 million over the salary cap when dead cap is included, meaning they have work to do before the season starts to get the roster where it needs to be. Trading Jones would hurt, but it might be the only solution.

Jones was limited to nine games last season due to injury, catching 51 passes for 771 yards and three touchdowns.

Photo: Lisa Ferdinando/U.S. Secretary of Defense via CC-BY 2.0