Falcons all pro wide receiver Julio Jones is available and according to NBC Sports Boston’s Michael Holley, has an interest in playing with Cam Newton. Former Patriots executive and Bill Belichick confidant Michael Lombardi said the Patriots would in fact be interested in Jones.
So, is all of this true? Yes. I would tend to think it is. Jones desire to play with Newton I am a little skeptical of but I definitely think the Patriots are interested in acquiring Jones.
The problem, so would at least a handful of other teams most notably the San Francisco 49ers. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan coached Jones in Atlanta so the two know each other and most importantly, Jones knows the Shanahan system.
Acquiring Jones takes some serious consideration and there are three factors that will ultimately determine whether or not the Patriots can actually acquire him. I call them the three C’s. Compensation, cap space and cost.
Bill Belichick has to figure out the return and if it makes sense. He also has to make it work with the salary cap and determine if he can in fact afford Jones. Is Jones worth his current salary or will he have to be restructured?
The Patriots can acquire Julio Jones but it will take a lot. Here is my break down of a potential trade based on the Three C’s.
Compensation: The Patriots will have to be creative in terms of what they give up for Jones. Atlanta would love a first or second round pick but that is probably unrealistic.
The Patriots could offer a package centering around picks and wide receiver N’Keal Harry or linebacker Dont’a Hightower. Perhaps Harry, a third round pick and a sixth round pick gets the deal done. If not, maybe Hightower and a third round or fourth round pick gets the deal done. The trade would almost have to be like an NBA trade where money has to be moved to make it work.
Belichick could offer a second round pick straight up for Jones but I think he would rather not. He would prefer to get Harry and or another player and their contract off the books.
Cap Space: The Patriots currently have $15 million dollars worth of cap space. Jones is scheduled to earn $15.3 million this season and he has two more years left on his contract after this season at $11.5 million per season.
The Patriots still haven’t signed all of their draft picks so in theory, they don’t actually have $15 million to spend. This is why involving a player in the deal makes sense. The Patriots would have to get money off their books in order to fit Jones in. Harry is scheduled to earn $1.4 million this season but that’s not going to realistically be enough money. Now putting Hightower in the deal, that would make more sense. He’s scheduled to earn $7.8 million this season and he is in the final year of his deal. The question is. Do the Patriots have enough depth at linebacker that they can afford to part Hightower? Atlanta needs help on defense so Hightower would actually make a lot more sense for them than acquiring Harry would.
Cost: Given his recent injury history and the reminder of his contract, the Patriots would probably want to restructure Jones’ contract and make it easier for them to absorb.
Belichick is the master of contract restructuring. He is always looking to move money around and save money over the length of a contract. Especially when it comes to veteran players.
Acquiring Jones makes sense given the Patriots perceived need at wide receiver but Belichick will not saddle the organization with a bad contract in order to do it. With a veteran like Jones, he will ask him to take a little less money by dangling the carrot of potentially winning a Super Bowl in front of him.
The Patriots could very easily acquire Julio Jones. They have the ammunition and the cap flexibility to do it. Belichick has to decide if Jones at this stage of his career is worth giving up future compensation and if the money he is making on his current deal makes him worth acquiring.
All questions that Belichick is discussing internally as he decides whether or not to make a trade for one of the best receivers in the NFL.