Atlanta Falcons

Arthur Smith isn't sweating the Julio Jones trade. 

The new Atlanta Falcons head coach told reporters Tuesday, "I don't worry about players I never coached" following Jones' trade to the Tennessee Titans.

He added:

My concern is the guys we've got on this roster. I've dealt with a lot of different situations week to week in my experience in Tennessee. It doesn't matter. They're gonna roll the ball out there, we're gonna kick off, there's gonna be a game to play. Our objective is to go win. No different than what (we were) dealing with the COVID issue last year with Buffalo. We had four wideouts out that game. My job as a coach was to get us prepared to play and we'll do whatever we have to do to win that game. That's kind of how I look at it.

The Falcons traded the seven-time Pro Bowler to Tennessee on Sunday along with a 2023 sixth-round pick for a 2022 second-rounder and a 2023 fourth-rounder.

It was the end of an era. Jones is arguably the greatest player in the history of the franchise. He eclipsed 100 receptions three times, accumulated 1,000 or more receiving yards seven times and scored 60 touchdowns in 10 seasons.

He's a future Hall of Famer, and his absence will be felt. 

The Falcons still have playmakers for quarterback Matt Ryan. Calvin Ridley has emerged as an excellent option out wide, and Russell Gage will be tasked with stepping in as the No. 2. 

Rookie tight end Kyle Pitts has the potential to be a superstar, while Hayden Hurst is a solid option as well.

Smith is focusing on them, rather than a player he never coached in Jones. It makes sense, even if the shadow of the trade lingers over the organization. 

As he prepares to begin the next phase of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans, Julio Jones bid farewell to the organization he spent the past 10 seasons playing for. 

In a post on Instagram, Jones thanked Falcons fans and the city of Atlanta for "an amazing 10 years" before saying he is "very excited" to be joining the Titans:

The Titans announced Sunday they agreed to acquire Jones and a 2023 sixth-round draft pick from the Falcons in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-rounder. 

During the 2011 NFL draft, Atlanta dealt five picks to the Cleveland Browns in order to move up to No. 6 overall and select Jones after he had three successful seasons at Alabama. 

Jones immediately made an impact for the franchise, leading the team with 17.8 yards per reception and tying Roddy White for the team lead with touchdowns as a rookie. He led the NFL in receiving yards per game three times and total receiving yards twice. 

The Falcons made the playoffs four times in Jones' first seven seasons, including an appearance in Super Bowl LI.  

Jones is Atlanta's franchise leader in career receptions (848) and receiving yards (12,896). His 60 touchdowns are the second-most by a Falcons player, trailing only Roddy White (63). 

The Titans are counting on Jones bringing that level of production with him to form a dominant receiver duo with A.J. Brown. The team is coming off back-to-back playoff appearances and an AFC South title in 2020. 

The Tennessee Titans and quarterback Ryan Tannehill have reportedly restructured his four-year, $118 million contract to create more than $15 million in cap space for 2021, which will help finalize the trade for Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones from the Atlanta Falcons.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Tuesday it's a "simple restructure" to clear the way for Jones' $15.3 million base salary in 2021.

The Titans announced Sunday they'd reached an agreement with the Falcons to acquire Jones and a 2023 sixth-round draft pick in exchange for a 2022 second-rounder and a 2023 fourth-rounder.

"We're excited to add Julio to the football team, and he's excited to be a part of what we have going on in Nashville," general manager Jon Robinson said. "It's a big day for our team."

Adding Jones to a group of playmakers led by running back Derrick Henry and fellow wide receiver A.J. Brown is a major step toward the Tannehill-guided offense being able to keep pace with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, the two-time defending AFC champions.

Jones was held to 51 catches for 771 yards and three touchdowns in 2020 because of a lingering hamstring injury that limited him to nine appearances, but he'd previously had 1,300 receiving yards or more in six straight seasons for the Falcons.

The 32-year-old University of Alabama product saw a lot of double-teams during his decade in Atlanta, but that shouldn't be the case in Tennessee with opposing defenses also having to scheme for Henry, who typically attracts eight-man fronts, and Brown, who's tallied 2,126 yards and 19 scores through two NFL seasons.

Meanwhile, Tannehill has quietly been one of the NFL's most effective quarterbacks since being acquired from the Miami Dolphins in 2019.

The 2012 first-round pick completed 65.5 percent of his throws for 3,819 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions across 16 games in 2020. He also added seven rushing scores and ranked fourth in ESPN's Total QBR (78.3) behind only the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers (84.4), Mahomes (82.9) and the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen (81.7).

Tannehill said he was "fired up" after learning about the acquisition of Jones.

"I'm excited," he told reporters Sunday. "How can you not be excited to play with a guy the caliber and talent Julio is and has been for his whole career? So, I'm excited to get to know him as a person and just welcome him to the team and get him acclimated to the way we do things."

The Titans have reached the playoffs three of the past four years, highlighted by a trip to the 2019 AFC Championship Game, so their championship window is open with Jones in the fold.

Three other teams besides the Titans were reportedly involved in trade talks for Julio Jones before the Atlanta Falcons sent him to Tennessee on Sunday.

Peter King of NBC Sports did not name the teams but noted that "none [were] willing to give what Tennessee gave" in trade talks. The Titans sent a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round selection to Atlanta for Jones and a 2023 sixth-round pick, along with taking on the remaining guaranteed money on his contract.

Jones' $15.3 million contract is fully guaranteed for the 2021 season. He carries a base salary of $11.5 million each of the final two years of the deal, only $2 million of which is fully guaranteed.

The Titans may look to restructure Jones' contract to get themselves under the cap. They had only $3.4 million of space before pulling off the trade, meaning they would not have enough room to fit Jones' $15.3 million cap hit. Restructuring deals to make the trade work under the cap is a must; it's just a matter of which deals.

Jones' base salary is below market for a top-10 receiver, but he's 32 and coming off an injury-riddled season. He missed seven games and was hobbled in others, though he remained highly productive when on the field. His 75 percent catch rate was the highest of his 10-year career.

Interested teams still had to determine if they would be paying for Jones' past production or his actual future impact.

The Titans are an interesting fit, in large part because they often utilize a ground-based offense with Derrick Henry. QB Ryan Tannehill's job is one of a highly efficient game manager, and he's played that role to perfection the last two seasons. However, the arrival of Jones and the presence of AJ Brown means he may be expected to air things out more in 2021.

The Julio Jones era is over in Atlanta. 

The Falcons superstar was traded to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday alongside a 2023 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-rounder, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

For fantasy players, that brings to mind one question: What will the impact be on players like Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus?

Ridley is the easy answer. He was already a WR1 before the trade after finishing fifth in scoring among wide receivers in standard-scoring leagues last year. Now, he's a legitimate candidate to lead all wideouts in fantasy scoring. 

Expect the 26-year-old to have a monster year. 

Gage and Zaccheaus are much tougher projections, with neither holding the track record of a Ridley. Gage was good last year, catching 72 passes for 786 yards and four touchdowns, and the instinct for some fantasy players might be to assume he's due for another production bump with Jones gone. 

But remember, Jones missed seven games a season ago. Much of Gage's production was already without Jones around. And the Falcons added a young, dynamic tight end in Kyle Pitts who is going to play a major role in their offense. 

Gage is going to get his targets. But assuming he'll be anything more than a WR4 at this point is risky. If he flashes in training camp, maybe bump him up as a promising sleeper, but for now keep your expectations realistic. 

Zaccheaus is even more of a dart throw in the dark. He'll likely earn more targets next season as the team's slot receiver, but he's going to be competing with Ridley, Gage, Pitts, Hayden Hurst and Mike Davis for targets. 

He's a WR5 at best, but you can do better with your speculative late-round draft picks. 

The TL;DR of the Jones trade from a fantasy perspective is this: Ridley and Pitts are the big winners. Gage and Hurst should be solid. The rest of the team's pass-catchers can take a back seat when you fill out your roster. 

Julio Jones' tenure in Atlanta is over.

The Falcons agreed to trade their All-Pro receiver and a 2023 sixth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, receiving a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round selection.

Atlanta owns all of its own draft picks, aside from a conditional seventh-rounder sent to the Buffalo Bills for tight end Lee Smith, and the 2023 sixth-round pick going to Tennessee. The Falcons will have at least seven draft picks each of the next two years without factoring in compensatory selections.

Here is a look at how their depth chart will look without Jones.

QB: Matt Ryan / AJ McCarron / Feleipe Franks
RB: Mike Davis / Quadree Ollison / Tony Brooks-James / Javian Hawkins / Caleb Huntley
WR: Calvin Ridley / Russell Gage / Olamide Zaccheaus / Cordarrelle Patterson / Christian Blake / Greg Dortch / Frank Darby / Chris Rowland / Austin Trammell / Antonio Nunn / Taje Sharpe / Juwan Green
TE: Kyle Pitts / Hayden Hurst / Lee Smith / Jaeden Graham / Parker Hesse / Ryan Becker

Jones' departure will mean a massive uptick in responsibility for Calvin Ridley and likely a ton of two-TE sets featuring Kyle Pitts and Hayden Hurst. Ridley showed he's more than capable of handling top duties last season, but he still had Jones lining up across from him for a majority of the year.

Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus aren't going to draw the same coverages. It would not be a surprise if Ridley's target share increased, but his overall efficiency of production decreased in 2021.

The Falcons are in the NFL's no man's land at the moment, with a roster that's too good to tank but likely not good enough to compete for a Super Bowl. It's possible that Jones' departure will only serve as the first domino of a long-term rebuild that begins next offseason, when the team can more easily trade Matt Ryan. 

The Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans are among the teams that continue to monitor a potential Julio Jones trade.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN updated the situation during an appearance Sunday on SportsCenter, noting the Rams and Seahawks are hesitant about the combination of draft picks and salary required to pull off a deal:

Teams are still having a problem with some of the money involved, the draft-pick capital they'd have to give up. I think the Rams are in that boat, so [they] haven't been overly involved in recent days, but the Rams are always lurking. They're always willing to give up first-round picks. Now, let's go to Seattle, another team that's typically aggressive on the trade market. Russell Wilson, we saw 'Let Russ Cook' all year, especially those first eight to 10 games. Probably the best deep-ball thrower in the entire league. He loves Julio Jones, would love to play for him. Seattle knows that. I think they would have a little bit of a problem with the money, that $15 million salary. They wouldn't want to do that and give up a high pick, I know that. But they are at least internally still discussing this. Now, Tennessee and Ryan Tannehill. Tennessee came up the most around the league this last week on teams that could be aggressive in getting Julio. I know they're still monitoring the situation. Still have some interest to some degree but haven't really pulled the trigger on this yet.

The latest news comes amid Fowler's report from Saturday that said Jones wants to play for a contender that has a "big-armed" quarterback. The Rams (Matthew Stafford), Seahawks (Russell Wilson) and Titans (Ryan Tannehill) all fit the criteria. It could be said that neither Stafford nor Tannehill is better than Matt Ryan, but the Rams and Titans are in a far better position to contend for a Super Bowl than Atlanta. 

FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Titans and Seahawks as co-favorites to land Jones at +300. Seattle has been among the fastest risers in the odds in recent weeks, while the Titans have regularly been mentioned as a fit since rumors regarding a Jones trade have cropped up.

Movement on a Jones trade has been slow for one word with two different meanings: compensation. Teams are both wary of Jones' $15.3 million price tag and the Falcons' desire to land a high draft pick(s) in any trade.

Atlanta's logic makes plenty of sense. Jones is on the Mount Rushmore of greatest Falcons in franchise history and remains highly effective. While he was limited to nine games last season, he still put up 51 catches for 771 yards and three touchdowns and set a career high with a 75 percent catch rate. The 2020 season was the first time Jones had missed three or more games in a season since 2013.

Jones' $15.3 million salary is also below the going rate for most elite players at his position.

That said, cap room around the NFL is scarce, and it may require a contract extension or restructuring for some teams to add Jones. That creates a layer of long-term obligation for a 32-year-old whose best days may be behind him, all while likely giving up a first- or second-round draft choice.

Jones is almost certain to get traded this offseason, but the interested parties appear to be waiting until the last possible minute to get him at his lowest possible price.

Julio Jones apparently wants to prove he can still go deep.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported Saturday that Jones is seeking a contender with "a big-armed QB that can deliver the deep ball" as the Atlanta Falcons continue to explore trade opportunities for the future Hall of Famer.

While many expected Jones to be traded soon after June 1, it appears no team has been willing to meet Atlanta's asking price.

From those two criteria, we can whittle down Jones' desired locations: Kansas City (Patrick Mahomes), Buffalo (Josh Allen), Green Bay (Aaron Rodgers...for now) and Seattle (Russell Wilson). There are other names that fans could argue, such as Ryan Tannehill or Matthew Stafford, but neither are demonstrably better deep-ball throwers than Matt Ryan.

The Titans and Seahawks have the best odds of landing Jones, per FanDuel Sportsbook, at +300. Seattle has been the fastest riser among potential landing spots, likely thanks to a report by Dianna Russini of ESPN that Wilson and Jones discussed playing together.

Seahawks management has also been aggressive in recent seasons, trading draft picks for instant-impact veterans in Jamal Adams, Gabe Jackson, Duane Brown and Jadeveon Clowney. Seattle does not have its first-round pick next season as a result of the Adams trade.

The Titans have a clearer path toward landing Jones, as they hold all their future picks in high-leverage rounds. A.J. Brown also very publicly campaigned for his team to land Jones to create one of the sport's best one-two-punches at wide receiver.

None of the other potential landing spots listed above have gotten much buzz in relation to Jones. The Packers could make a trade to satiate Rodgers, but it's unclear if that would repair their relationship. The Bills would be an interesting landing spot, but they just used draft capital a year ago to trade for Stefon Diggs. The Chiefs and Rams appear comfortable with their depth at wide receiver.

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

Must be 21+ and present in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, West Virginia, Colorado or Tennessee. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. See sportsbook.fanduel.com for details.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was coy when asked about the possibility of Julio Jones being with the team at the start of mandatory minicamp next week. 

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Smith was asked about Jones' status amid trade speculation around the star wide receiver.

"We have conversations all the time with all our players and there's good communication back and forth, multiple avenues," Smith said. "So we'll see what happens next week, where we're at, you know. I can answer that for you next week."

Several teams have been linked to Jones in a potential trade, with ESPN's Dianna Russini reporting last week on Get Up that the Falcons have a first-round draft pick on the table from one unnamed club.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the San Francisco 49ers are being watched closely around the league as a potential destination for Jones. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported the Tennessee Titans are the perceived favorites to add the two-time All-Pro. 

Other teams that have come up in trade rumors for Jones include the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks, though ESPN's Kimberley Martin reported on Get Up Wednesday that the Rams and Ravens are "done" going after Jones.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Jones requested a trade from the Falcons "months ago," and the team agreed to listen to offers from interested clubs. 

It's unclear at this point if a deal is imminent, but the Falcons did help themselves out by waiting until after June 1 if a move occurs. His dead cap hit for this season is only $7.75 million, per Spotrac. 

Jones' cap hit in 2021 is $23.05 million. The 32-year-old had 771 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 51 receptions in nine games last season. 

The Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Rams have reportedly removed themselves from the Julio Jones sweepstakes.

Appearing Wednesday morning on Get Up, ESPN's Kimberley Martin said she knows "for a fact" that the Ravens and Rams are "done" pursuing the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver.

Martin also said she has heard the Tennessee Titans are strong contenders for Jones, adding that most of the people she has spoken with expect Jones will "probably" get traded to Tennessee.

Jeff Schultz of The Athletic recently reported on the Falcons' interest in trading Jones because of their need for salary-cap relief. He is set to make $15.3 million in 2021, and Atlanta had just $588,018 in cap space.

Last week, Jones had a phone conversation with Shannon Sharpe on FS1's Undisputed, saying he was "outta here" in reference to Atlanta.

Schultz mentioned the Titans, Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers as teams with potential interest.

The Ravens have long stood out as a team in need of help at wideout, especially if the plan is for quarterback Lamar Jackson to reach his full potential. However, Baltimore signed veteran Sammy Watkins and selected Rashod Bateman in the first round of the 2021 draft to go along with No. 1 wideout Marquise "Hollywood" Brown.

The Rams already have Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, but there are some question marks outside of them. Veteran DeSean Jackson is injury-prone, and 2020 second-round pick Van Jefferson has yet to prove he can be a big-time contributor. Adding Jones with Woods and Kupp would give new quarterback Matthew Stafford all the tools needed to succeed and potentially get the Rams back to the Super Bowl.

The Titans have perhaps the biggest need for Jones after wide receivers Corey Davis and Adam Humphries and tight end Jonnu Smith departed in free agency. That left A.J. Brown as quarterback Ryan Tannehill's only big-time weapon in the passing game.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio recently reported the expectation within the NFL is the Falcons will eventually trade Jones to the Titans for a second-round pick.

The 32-year-old Jones has been one of the best wide receivers in the NFL over the past decade, racking up 848 receptions for 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns in 135 games.

The seven-time Pro Bowler is the Falcons' all-time leading receiver and a potential future Hall of Famer, and if he can stay healthy, he will significantly improve whichever offense he plays for in 2021.