Atlanta Falcons Julio Jones deserving of new contract

By Luis Tirado Jr. | Jun 6, 2015

When it comes to the voluntary organized team activities for the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, wide receiver Julio Jones unlike others in his current contract situation actually did the right thing. Instead of skipping them to send a statement about wanting a new contract, he actually attended each and every one of them to prove that he’s all about putting in the work needed to have a rebound season for his team. Will his continued loyalty to leaving it all on the field make the Falcons reward him with a newly redone contract before the start of the regular season?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like both sides have come to any agreement to get a new deal done sooner than later. Jones is deserving of a contract extension not only for what he’s done so far on the team, but by taking the high road in everything he does. He could have skipped OTAs and made a big fuss about wanting a new contract to the media but instead, focuses on the bigger picture at hand.

More from Atlanta Falcons

Even though it goes to show his head is where it matters most, the Falcons are in seemingly no rush to get a deal done before the upcoming season. While they did pick up his 2015 option, they might just wait things out to see how he performs next season before shelling out a financially big long-term contract.

Jones is in a great position to continue being the premiere receiver of the Falcons this upcoming season but considering that they just picked up his option, he’s not going to be re-signed anytime soon. They will get one more look at just how valuable he is for the franchise and most likely give him a new contract come next offseason.

Even though Jones is doing and saying all the right things leaving contract talks between the Falcons and his agent, one wonders if his future will indeed still be a part of the franchise. In his four seasons so far with the Falcons, Jones has contributed 4,330 yards on 278 receptions for 26 touchdowns. He led the team last season in receiving yards at 1,593 and yards per game at 106.2 which goes to show he’s on the verge of entering the prime years of his career for even bigger results.

May 26, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) on the field during OTA at Falcons Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Considering that some of his best football is ahead of him, it’s imperative that the Falcons see the bigger picture in that Jones is hands down not only their best receiver but is an explosive play-maker that overachieves in everything he does.

One can see why they would to wait until his contract winds down but at the same token, it could come back to haunt them during negotiation talks after the season is over and he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Good news is so far during OTAs, Jones has been doing well and executing the new playbook being installed by new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. New head coach Dan Quinn also sees how he’s turning into a quality leader as the cornerstone of the Falcons’ wide receiving corps.

Overall, Jones definitely deserves to be taken care of by the Falcons but shouldn’t expect anything until after next season. He should continue to make a name for himself and perhaps have his best season yet since he knows what is at stake for the future.

He’s pretty much playing to earn the next big contract of his career that should hopefully see him retire with the team that originally gave him his first big shot in the Falcons.

Next: Total BS: New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons have best playoff chances of losing teams?

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Atlanta Falcons