Washington among top landing spots for Falcons WR Julio Jones

News broke this week that the Atlanta Falcons are open to trading all-world wide receiver Julio Jones. Jones has spent 10 years with the club and racked up nearly 13,000 receiving yards, but missed nearly half of the 2020 campaign and turned 32 earlier this year.

If Julio Jones is healthy, he could bring a team’s offense to another level. However, he’ll command a hefty price tag, and there’s always the risk he isn’t the player he once was. Here is a look at three realistic situations where he could thrive away from Atlanta.

Washington Football Team

Washington won the NFC East last year because…let’s face it, one team had to. Their offense will look significantly different next season. Ryan Fitzpatrick will be under center, and the team signed Curtis Samuel away from Carolina.

However, Washington has enough cap space to entertain the idea of trading for Jones, and the idea of Jones on one side, Terry McLaurin on another, Samuel in the slot, and Logan Thomas at tight end is pretty tantalizing. Such a unit could give opposing secondaries major headaches.

With Dallas at full-strength going into 2021, Washington may see an opportunity to add another big weapon to its offense.

Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert was the NFL revelation of 2020. He put forth one of the finest statistical campaigns by a rookie quarterback in league history, and he did so with an underwhelming supporting cast outside of stalwart wideout Keenan Allen. The Chargers have a new head coach in Brandon Staley, and Jones would be a strong fit here, too.

Allen is very good, but he’s missed significant time due to injuries. Putting him at the No. 2 spot opposite Jones would open the door for plenty of favorable matchups, and if Herbert progresses significantly, it could make for a fun offense to watch. L.A. has significant cap room, and they could receive four compensatory draft picks in 2022.

Of the three options I lay out here, this one is my favorite. Why? Because the Chargers play the Chiefs twice a year. Good luck to those setting an Over/Under for a healthy Chiefs team taking on a Charger offense with two top-tier wideouts and a supremely-gifted quarterback calling the shots!

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville has the most cap space of any team in the league as of this writing. New head coach Urban Meyer has his quarterback, rookie sensation Trevor Lawrence, and given the recent news about newly-turned tight end Tim Tebow, he’s not averse to making headline-grabbing moves ahead of his first NFL season.

The Jags have a full complement of draft picks in 2022, plus a pair of conditional picks stemming from trades involving Yannick Ngakoue and Josh Oliver. Additionally, Jones would join a wide receiving corps boasting DJ Chark Jr., who tallied 1,000 yards in 2019, and Marvin Jones, Jr., who proved himself to be a consistent option in Cincinnati and Detroit. The question is, would Jacksonville want to go all-in for Jones at this juncture, given its needs elsewhere on the depth chart?

Stay tuned, as speculation around Jones and his next landing place is certain to heat up.