It’s not every day that one of football’s certified superstars decides he wants out of his team and contracts to look for new challenges. With a move that surprised everyone around the NFL, Falcons WR Julio Jones decided it was time to leave the ATL and look for a new destination to take his talents to. For NFL odds experts it’s easy to understand that any team that can snag up Julio Jones will automatically move up in the contention rankings. So where should Jones end up going? Here are four teams that make sense for Jones moving forward.
New England Patriots: Jones and Belichick? It Has A Nice Ring To It
It wasn’t too long ago when Julio Jones and Cam Newton were making headlines all over the AFC South. Those Panthers vs. Falcons showdowns were must-see football back in the day. With Cam Newton entering his second season as QB for the New England Patriots a reunion between Jones and Newton might just be what the Patriots need to bounce back into football relevance.
Experts around the league were shook when Bill Belichick and the Patriots hit the free agency market and loaded up with a stack of veteran players like TE’s Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith and WR’s Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne to give Newton some much needed weapons on offense. While all these are decent signings none compare, even remotely to the effect that Julio Jones might have on the team. Can Belichick pull off a new Randy Moss style move with Julio Jones? If there’s a coach in the NFL that can do it, it’s Bill.
Jones To The Colts? Carson Wentz Says Yes Please!
After nabbing former Eagles QB Carson Wentz from Philadelphia in order to see if they can finally move on from Andrew Luck, the Indianapolis Colts should now put all their focus on surrounding him with a receiver as pivotal for automatic improvement. That receiver in question should be no other than Julio Jones. A WR core with Julio Jones, Michael Pittman Jr. and TY Hilton sounds like every QB’s dream without a shadow of a doubt.
The Colts have everything in place to make the move. Their cap situation is more than ideal to be able to take on Jones’ contract and still come off without any true hits. If the Colts are the new second chance team in the league with Wentz why not try it with Jones as well?
Julio Jones and Las Vegas, Excitement Guaranteed!
Yeah, the Las Vegas Raiders might not automatically come off as the dream destination for superstar veteran WR’s, yeah Antonio Brown, this is about you. But that still doesn’t mean that the Raiders are not a team where if everything falls into place, a player like Jones can flourish again. Now yes, the Raiders’ cap situation is not the best in the league, it’s not even average, but on the other hand they do have some very promising and attractive draft capital that can make Atlanta see them as suitable takers for Jones.
QB Derek Carr is coming into the season under the premise that this is the year where he truly has to put up or shut up if he wants to continue calling shots as LV’s main passer. So if the Raiders made a move to get Julio Jones and pit him up next to Henry Ruggs, Darren Waller and John Brown, oh man the Raiders are going to be a scary unit to face down the field.
Julio Jones To The Cleveland Browns? Watch Out KC
The Cleveland Browns are what you find if you look up “juggernaut excitement” in the football dictionary. Baker Mayfield is a couple of steps away from cementing himself into true superstardom so why not help him out by bringing Julio Jones. With Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry to back him up, the Browns would easily have three receivers that can all play in the WR1 position. Add to that the power running offered by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt and the Browns are now just starting to sound stupid good.
Now sure, Beckham and Landry still offer more upside down the road, given their three-year age difference with Jones but it’s too much of a good deal to pass up on. The Browns are clearly making themselves out to be Kansas City’s biggest threat in the future along with the Bills, but if they truly want to be able to topple the Chiefs, then a move for Julio Jones is more than necessary.
