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Report: Julio Jones refuses to hold out to get a long-term deal from the Atlanta Falcons

Fact: Julio Jones once wrestled a rabid armadillo; the armadillo tapped out

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones doesn't cause problems. He comes to work, he does his job, and he doesn't complain. These are characteristics many NFL players don't exhibit. But not Julio. Dan Quinn could literally ask Julio to bench press Ricardo Allen as part of some holistic, new age training regimen, and Julio would do it. He's the very definition of a soldier.

As you know, Julio is playing out the last year of his rookie contract. The Falcons can potentially franchise tag him in 2016 and 2017, but that doesn't seem likely. The two sides have been working on a long-term deal for a while now, and I'd be shocked if they don't work something out. In the meantime, Julio isn't resorting to childish antics - he's just doing his job. And per Vaughn McClure, we should only expect more of the same from him.

"Whatever they feel like I'm deserving of ... I'm just here," Jones said. "I'm just trying to be the best teammate. I'm just trying to play. My thing is to play ball. Jimmy Sexton, he's going to negotiate that with [general manager] Thomas [Dimitroff] and [Falcons owner] Mr. [Arthur] Blank. That's the side they handle. My side, I've got to handle on the football field. I've got to keep showing up every day and putting in work."

Julio is just a selfless kid, hell bent on letting his play speak for itself. Sure, he wants to get paid. But there's a classy way to get a deal done and a coercive, unprofessional way to get a deal done. Julio will choose the former every time.

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