Falcons rumors: 6 Julio Jones trade partners that could make a deal, ranked

1. Indianapolis Colts

Of the teams that could possibly land Julio Jones in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, the Indianapolis Colts just stand out as the most obvious choice. In terms of how the team operates under general manager Chris Ballard in addition to their current situation and the need at wide receiver, it all just adds up.

For starters, the Colts entered free agency with as much money as almost any team in the league to spend. Except they didn’t do that — they sat on their money like Smaug under the Lonely Mountain waiting for the moves they wanted to materialize. And this isn’t outside the norm for Ballard in the front office either. Case in point would be not drafting a left tackle for bad value only to sign veteran Eric Fisher to a modest deal after the draft.

Having said that, the Colts wide receiver room is fine but could clearly be upgraded. They re-signed T.Y. Hilton this offseason while they have young Michael Pittman Jr. on the roster and hope that Parris Campbell can stay on the field. Indianapolis very plainly, though, doesn’t have someone like Jones who can be a go-to target for new quarterback Carson Wentz, who they are looking to reinvent.

Indianapolis has never been afraid to make a bold trade when they believe the value is there, as was the case with DeForest Buckner and Wentz. Getting a player of Jones’ caliber who fits so naturally into the offense for less than a first-round pick would fit their modus operandi perfectly.