What are the Falcons options with Julio Jones in 2021 and beyond?

The Falcons haven’t had particularly good luck with health in 2020, and star WR Julio Jones was no exception. A franchise icon and a key cog on offense, Jones appeared in just 9 games this season and is questionable for the final game against the Buccaneers in Week 17. If the current statistics hold, 2020 would mark the lowest yardage total (68 catches for 771 yards) and number of games played (9) for Julio since that dreadful 2013 season.

Despite the nagging hamstring injury this year, Julio has actually been the opposite of injury-prone and rarely misses games. Before 2020, Jones had missed a combined 4 games between 2014-2019. It’s important to note that Julio regularly plays through minor injuries and continues to be productive, so 2020 has been a significant big outlier for his career.

With Julio’s age (32 during the 2021 season), missed time in 2020, and a new staff coming in this offseason, the rumor mill has started to swirl about the Falcons potentially moving on from the star receiver. So what exactly are Atlanta’s options with Julio in 2021 and beyond?

To find out, I broke down Jones’ contract in detail to determine potential courses of action.

Anyone that has followed The Falcoholic Live or been paying attention to contract talk knows that Julio’s contract is large and very difficult to move—particularly in 2021. However, the Falcons do have options starting in 2022 and 2023. There’s also the possibility of restructuring Julio’s deal to free up cap space over the next few years, although this would make him nearly impossible to cut or trade going forward. Check out the video above for in-depth analysis of his contract and the choices Atlanta will have to make.

I hope you enjoy this contract breakdown! Please leave your (preferably constructive) comments below and let me know what other types of breakdowns you’d like to see. If you haven’t already, be sure to Like the video and Subscribe to our YouTube channel!