Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons hold the No. 4 pick in Thursday's NFL draft, a selection that more than a few teams—including those trying to get into the range of one of the top quarterbacks—would like to have. 

So how high is the asking price? Well, according to ESPN's Dianna Russini, it's astronomical:

"Plenty of teams—I'm talking almost every single team in the league—has called [general manager] Terry Fontenot to find out if they would be willing to trade out of that No. 4 spot. Lots of teams have their eyes on Kyle Pitts. But here's the thing: Atlanta likes Kyle Pitts too at this point. ... The Falcons have yet to receive an offer to trade back that has value. And when I asked what the asking price was around from different teams, I was told, 'The moon, the stars and maybe a couple of planets.'"

As for the debate between taking a talented player like Pitts or a young quarterback to serve as Matt Ryan's eventual successor, Russini reported: "The feeling in Atlanta, today, is that Matt Ryan's got years left. So the idea of a quarterback, or them grabbing one, seems to be dwindling."

It sounds like the Falcons will decide between Pitts and a trade down. 

If the Falcons deal the pick, it's likely they'll look for a similar return to what the Miami Dolphins received from the San Francisco 49ers (three first-rounders and a third-rounder). It's unlikely any team would pay that sort of premium unless the quarterback they prefer is available at No. 4. 

As for Pitts, he's widely considered to be a generational talent at tight end. Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network believes he's the second-best player in the draft, behind only Trevor Lawrence, calling him a "unique talent with the ability to take over a game. He is the definition of a mismatch player."

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. also has Pitts No. 2 on his big board, writing that, "Like Lawrence, Pitts has one of the highest grades I've ever given at the position, but he's more than a tight end. He's an offensive weapon who will immediately improve a team picking in the top five."

So it's easy to see why the Falcons would likely be more than happy staying put at No. 4 and taking the tight end. If they don't receive half the Milky Way in a trade, that is.

Looking for help at wide receiver, the Baltimore Ravens reportedly made a call to the Atlanta Falcons about Julio Jones. 

Answering fan questions on Instagram (starts at 2:20 mark), Fox Sports' Jay Glazer said the Ravens made an inquiry about the seven-time Pro Bowler this offseason. 

Speaking to Justin Felder of Fox 5 Sports, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said he is willing to listen to calls on any player because the team is in a difficult salary cap situation. 

Benjamin Allbright of KOA Newsradio reported Wednesday that the Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders have looked at Jones in a potential trade. 

Glazer noted that Jones' contract makes it difficult to move him. The 32-year-old has a $23.05 million cap hit in 2021 and $19.263 million cap hits in 2022 and 2023. 

Per Over the Cap, Atlanta has $929,851 in cap space available for the upcoming season. 

Jones has spent his entire career with the Falcons since being taken No. 6 overall in the 2011 NFL draft. He finished third on the team with 771 receiving yards last season despite missing seven games because of a hamstring injury. 

Barring a blockbuster trade for an established player, the Ravens seem likely to address their receiving corps in the 2021 NFL draft. They own the Nos. 27 and 31 picks in the first round. 

Marquise Brown led Baltimore with 769 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2020.

The Atlanta Falcons have reportedly been engaged in trade talks regarding the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

According to Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, the Falcons have "not yet received an offer to their liking," but continue to hold talks.

Since the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers are expected to take quarterbacks with the first three picks, there is a great deal of intrigue surrounding the Falcons at No. 4, as they could address any number of needs or trade out.

Assuming Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and either Trey Lance or Mac Jones come off the board with the first three picks, the Falcons will have their choice of one of two top-caliber quarterbacks or the best player at any other position.

Since elite talent at every position other than quarterback will be available, it stands to reason that there could be some teams interested in moving up to the No. 4 slot.

Among the potential targets for teams moving up would be Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell. Teams may also want to trade up if the quarterback they covet—such as Lance, Jones or Justin Fields—escapes the top three.

If the Falcons stand pat, quarterback is a possibility given that Matt Ryan is nearly 36 years of age and may be approaching the twilight of his career.

Ryan enjoyed a solid year in 2020, completing 65.0 percent of his passes for 4,581 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but the Falcons went just 4-12 and have finished with a losing record in each of the past three seasons.

Having a former NFL MVP in Ryan on the roster would given the Falcons the luxury of taking a quarterback and not having to rush him in the lineup. Fields, a Georgia native, could be a popular pick among Falcons fans.

While Atlanta would be rolling the dice to some degree by taking a quarterback, the slam-dunk pick appears to be Pitts, who is widely regarded as the top tight end in the draft by a significant margin and one of the best tight end prospects in years.

The Falcons already have a solid tight end in Hayden Hurst, but new head coach Arthur Smith loved running multiple tight end sets during his time as offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans. Taking Pitts would give Ryan a pass-catching corps of Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Pitts and Hurst, which would be among the NFL's best.

Atlanta does have a lot of holes it needs to fill, especially on the defensive side of the ball, so it is understandable why first-year general manager Terry Fontenot may be considering moving down, especially after seeing the San Francisco 49ers surrender three first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins to go from No. 12 to No. 3.

We're only a few days away from the 2021 NFL draft in Cleveland, and an annual part of those festivities are the trades that take place.

We've already seen the San Francisco 49ers mortgage their future to move up to the third overall pick, while the Baltimore Ravens flipped Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to the Kansas City Chiefs for a package that included the 31st pick in 2021.

A likely Hall of Famer doesn't become available every year. But if recent reports are to be believed, one may be in 2021.

According to Albert Breer of Sports illustrated and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Atlanta Falcons are at least listening to offers for star wideout Julio Jones, who has three years left on his current contract.

While Jones isn't getting any younger, is coming off a down 2020 campaign and carries a hefty salary, there is no shortage of teams that make at least some sense as trade partners for the 32-year-old.

Trading Jones would give Atlanta a chance both to shed salary and add draft picks with which to accelerate its rebuild. As things stand right now, the Falcons have less than $1 million in cap space, per Over the Cap. That's not even enough to sign the incoming rookie class.

A trade could offer Jones another chance to take a run at a Super Bowl ring, which isn't likely in Atlanta given the current state of the Falcons. Adding a wideout who has averaged more receiving yards per game (95.5) than any player in NFL history should be a tempting proposition for any contender.

However, there are some roadblocks to such a trade. The first is timing.

The Falcons can't afford to trade Jones (officially at least) until after June 1. Doing so would trigger a massive dead cap hit of $23.3 million. By waiting until June, Atlanta can spread the cap charge over two years and save $15.3 million against this year's cap.

That means picks in this year's draft are off the table in any Jones trade package. 

The second sticking point is what it would take to get the deal done. Breer speculated that a Jones trade would require a first-rounder (or the equivalent). Peter King of NBC Sports, on the other hand, called a future second-rounder "fair" compensation.

On some level, it likely depends on how robust the market becomes for Jones' services. A first-round pick would all but certainly get the deal done, as Atlanta needs all the draft capital it can get to fix holes on both sides of the ball. But if teams are leery of making that robust of an investment in an aging receiver, a package headlined by a Round 2 selection may be as good as it gets.

In any event, there are a handful of teams that make sense for one reason or another as suitors for Jones.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are probably the least likely destination for Jones of any team featured here, but they're most fun to speculate about.

The Packers have won 13 games and reached the NFC Championship Game in each of the past two seasons. But the team's Super Bowl window isn't going to stay open forever, and the wide receiver spot opposite star Davante Adams has long been a question mark.

Jones would answer that question emphatically. The one-two punch of Jones and Adams catching passes from 2020 MVP Aaron Rodgers would be the stuff of nightmares for opposing defenses.

It would be a bold move by Green Bay, but it would also vault the Packers to the top of the list of challengers to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC.

Finding the cash to pay Jones would take some doing, but selling Aaron Rodgers on a contract restructuring would be a lot easier if that wiggle room were being used to pay one of the league's best pass-catchers.

And parting with a Round 1 pick is easier to stomach if it could result in a championship.

Baltimore Ravens

It's too bad that Jones can't be traded before June 1. Were that not the case, the Baltimore Ravens could use the extra pick that they obtained from the Kansas City Chiefs to vault to the top of the list of potential suitors for Jones' services.

The Ravens made a concerted effort to upgrade the passing-game weapons available to Lamar Jackson in free agency, but they were largely unsuccessful. Just about everyone believes that Baltimore will draft a wideout with either the 27th or 31st pick on Thursday.

Trading for Jones wouldn't preclude the Ravens from doing that. But it would give Baltimore options, and there's quite a bit of difference between hoping that a young receiver like Florida's Kadarius Toney can become a No. 1 receiver and knowing Jones has spent the past decade doing so.

The Ravens currently sit about $15 million under the salary cap, and with the AFC North shaping up as perhaps the NFL's toughest division in 2021, Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta has to at least consider any move that will help the Ravens keep pace with the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Indianapolis Colts

Among contending teams, no franchise is in better shape to take on Jones' salary in 2021 than the Indianapolis Colts. Of the league's 14 playoff teams from this past season, Indy has the most available cap space with $22.4 million.

The Colts also have a general manager in Chris Ballard who has demonstrated that he's willing to be aggressive on the trade market. Last year, he traded the No. 13 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. This year, Ballard addressed the retirement of Philip Rivers by making a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Carson Wentz.

The Wentz trade may well be the biggest obstacle to acquiring Jones. Provided that Wentz plays 75 percent of the Colts' snaps in 2021, the team's first-round pick next year will head to Philly. If he doesn't, the pick becomes a second-rounder.

Giving up another high pick would be a steep price to pay. But bringing in Jones would be a massive boost to a position group currently headlined by T.Y. Hilton and Michael Pittman Jr.

New England Patriots

Calling the New England Patriots a contender may be stretching the definition of that word a bit. But given the way that they attacked free agency this year, they appear hell-bent on making last year's 7-9 campaign a one-off.

The Pats have already taken sizable steps to improve their receiving corps this offseason, inking veterans Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne in free agency. But while Agholor is coming off the best season of his six-year career, he and Bourne have combined for a grand total of zero 1,000-yard seasons.

By weight of comparison, Jones has amassed seven such campaigns.

With just over $16 million in cap space, making room for Jones' salary wouldn't be a big reach. The taller task might be parting with the draft picks necessary to acquire Jones, especially if the Pats want to trade up in this year's draft to land a quarterback.

The Atlanta Falcons aren't going to hang up the phone on any teams interested in trading for wide receiver Julio Jones.

After Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported some teams have called Atlanta about Jones in part because of the NFC South club's "brutal cap situation," Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot discussed the possibility of such a move with Justin Felder of Fox 5 in Atlanta.

"We are in a difficult cap situation," he said. "That's just the circumstance. ... When teams call about any players, then we have to listen."

Rapoport explained any trade involving Jones would have to wait until June for cap reasons.

Atlanta is in such a scenario because it has less than $1 million in cap space and still has to sign draft picks. Peter King noted in his Football Morning in America column that splitting Jones' cap charge between the 2021 and 2022 campaigns in such a trade would save the Falcons more than $15 million in space.

While Jones is one of the best wide receivers of his generation, there is a world where trading him makes sense for Atlanta even beyond just the financial ramifications of such a move.

He is 32 years old and played just nine games because of injuries in 2020. Quarterback Matt Ryan, who turns 36 in May, is under contract through 2023 with a potential out in 2022. A rebuild may be in order, especially if the team selects a quarterback with the No. 4 overall pick in Thursday's NFL draft.

Moving Jones for younger players or draft capital could help accelerate the timeline on such a rebuild all while helping Atlanta get out of some of its cap problems.

Any team that landed the Alabama product would also have a game-changing pass-catcher who is a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection that led the league in receiving yards in 2015 and 2018.

He posted more than 1,300 receiving yards in six straight seasons from 2014 through 2019 and could make the difference for a contender if he is healthy in 2021.

The Atlanta Falcons will have the opportunity to draft a quarterback with the No. 4 pick of the 2021 NFL draft, but it might not necessarily be a need with Matt Ryan still on the roster.  

"For what it's worth, the buzz around the NFL has been that [general manager Terry] Fontenot and [head coach Arthur] Smith are comfortable going forward with Ryan, if that's where Atlanta lands," Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported. "But if the right quarterback falls here? Who knows?"

Breer also noted Fontenot has done "some relationship-building" with the veteran quarterback.

One factor that could signal a rebuild, however, is the potential trade of Julio Jones. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Falcons have "received calls" about a trade for Jones, even if it's unlikely he is moved until after June 1 for "cap reasons."

Peter King of NBC Sports also said it wouldn't be surprising if the Falcons put the framework together for a trade effective on June 2.

The Falcons are coming off three straight losing seasons including a 4-12 mark in 2020. The team could be looking for a fresh start under new coach Arthur Smith, which would include drafting a new quarterback in Round 1 (possibly Trey Lance or Justin Fields if they get past No. 3). Trading Jones would likely signal a rebuild and an eventual departure for Ryan, who turns 36 next month.

However, the team also has an option to stick with the quarterback and build the rest of the roster.

Ryan has only missed three starts in his 13 years in the NFL and remains effective under center, finishing 2020 with 4,581 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. 

The contract that runs through the 2022 season will also likely prevent any immediate movement. He is near impossible to move this year, and the Falcons would be left with $40.525 million in dead cap if he is traded or released next offseason, per Spotrac.

It could lead to Atlanta taking another impact player such as Florida tight end Kyle Pitts and worry about quarterback in the future.

Teams have reportedly contacted the Atlanta Falcons about a potential trade for wide receiver Julio Jones.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported a deal cannot happen until June 2 because of the Falcons' cap constraints, but interested parties have been gauging Atlanta's interest in moving on from its franchise receiver.

Peter King of NBC Sports mentioned the Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans as potential suitors. A framework of a trade could be put into place and then officially agreed upon when the Falcons could split Jones' cap hit over the next two seasons.

Moving on from Jones in a post-June 1 trade would save the Falcons $15.3 million on their 2021 cap. Atlanta is currently less than $1 million under the cap with draft picks yet to sign, meaning some additional moves are going to be needed to give the team breathing room.

Trading Jones would make some level of sense if the Falcons were planning to begin a rebuild. They could theoretically move on from Matt Ryan after the 2021 season—though it'd be more financially beneficial to wait until 2022—and may wind up tipping their hand in Thursday's first round.

Conventional wisdom says the draft does not begin until the Falcons' pick at No. 4. The Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers are locked into quarterbacks with the first three picks, meaning Atlanta could take the best non-quarterback available, dip its own hand into the quarterback pool or trade back with a team perhaps looking for a signal-caller of its own.

If the Falcons use their first-round pick on a quarterback, the writing's on the wall. Ryan would likely enter the 2021 season as a starter but with a giant "for sale" sign over his head, and the Falcons could look to move Jones for 2022 draft picks as the retooling around their new franchise face begins. 

Calvin Ridley proved himself more than capable of being a WR1 last season, and the 26-year-old fits far better with the timeline of a new quarterback than the elder statesman Jones, who turned 32 in February.

Matt Ryan has become almost synonymous with the current iteration of the Atlanta Falcons, but the NFC South team may look to find its future signal-caller in the upcoming NFL draft.

Peter King discussed the Falcons' options with the No. 4 pick in his Football Morning in America column and reported "owner Arthur Blank is fascinated by the quarterbacks atop the draft, thinking the franchise might not be in such an advantageous position to take one for years."

However, King pointed out that "Blank will not force a decision" and instead will allow head coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot to make the ultimate call.

Atlanta certainly has a number of options, and the luxury of this year's draft is there may be five quarterbacks worthy of taking with such an early pick.

Even if the Jacksonville Jaguars take Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, the New York Jets take BYU's Zach Wilson and the San Francisco 49ers take a quarterback with the first three picks, the Falcons would be left with two of three options from the group of Alabama's Mac Jones, Ohio State's Justin Fields and North Dakota State's Trey Lance depending on who San Francisco selected.

They could also look to take an offensive weapon at a different position, such as Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, or trade down with a team in desperate need of a quarterback, such as the Chicago Bears.

There is also the Ryan factor, as he turns 36 years old next month and has a potential out in his contract for 2022.

Atlanta could decide that his best days may be behind him at this point and look for a new quarterback, but he also threw for 4,581 yards and 26 touchdowns during the 2020 campaign and didn't appear to be slowing down much.

His presence shouldn't preclude the Falcons from taking a signal-caller, as someone like Fields could sit behind the four-time Pro Bowler who has a league MVP and Super Bowl appearance and garner valuable knowledge and experience from the veteran before eventually taking over a few years from now.

Blank apparently recognizes the opportunity the Falcons have with a top-five pick in a quarterback-heavy draft, and what Atlanta ultimately does will have a domino effect on the rest of the first round as other teams scramble depending on how many signal-callers are still remaining after those first four picks.

The Atlanta Falcons are continuing to prepare as if they'll select with the No. 4 pick in this year's draft, even amid a recent report from ESPN's Adam Schefter that suggested they were willing to part with it. 

Atlanta will send its full allocation of three staffers to Trey Lance's second Pro Day, which is set for Monday at North Dakota State, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Those three individuals will be different than the three people who attended his first workout, with the team taking a similar approach to the one it used with Justin Fields. 

In February, general manager Terry Fontenot said he thought choosing at No. 4 was "a prime spot." 

The Falcons have the opportunity to influence the rest of the draft, since it's expected that three quarterbacks will go with the first three picks between the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers, who traded up for that slot in late March. 

The Falcons are locked in to Matt Ryan under center, having restructured his contract to get under the salary cap in a move that made his contract worth $40.5 million in dead money if he's cut or traded before June 1 in 2022 and more than $15 million the year after, per Spotrac.

But Ryan is about to turn 36, and with a loaded quarterback class, the Falcons could use their high selection to ensure they have a future under center. 

Putting extra eyes on Lance is even more important than doing so with the rest of the quarterback class, since he brings a limited portfolio to the pros. He only made 13 starts throughout his career and just one in the past season, so he likely isn't as NFL-ready as his peers on the top of draft boards.

In 2019, he threw for 2,786 yards and 28 touchdowns with zero interceptions while also rushing for 1,110 yards and 14 scores.

His need for an extra developmental push makes him an almost-perfect match with the Falcons should they choose to draft him on April 29.