Patriots: Don’t get your hopes up with Julio Jones trade rumors
By Jerry Trotta
You thought the OBJ to Patriots rumors were a joke? How about Julio Jones?
Patriots fans are all too familiar with the team being linked with a wide receiver ahead of the trade deadline and the same can be said for the 2020 season. As we know, Bill Belichick acquired Falcons veteran Mohamed Sanu in exchange for a second-round pick last year and it shortly proved to be a disaster.
In eight games (six starts), he logged a woeful 55.3% catch rate and just 207 yards before being released amid a forgettable showing at training camp. Ironically enough, the latest unfounded rumors have the Patriots linked to a blockbuster trade for another Falcons receiver.
Per the rumor, Belichick and Co. have engaged in “serious conversations” for a trade involving Julio Jones.
We hate to ruin the mood of Patriots Nation, because a trade for Jones, who is undeniably one of the best receivers in the NFL, would make the team a legitimate contender in the AFC. However, this rumors reeks of the Odell Beckham Jr. links, and we all know a trade for the Browns star isn’t happening.
To put it simply, fans in New England shouldn’t get their hopes up in light of these rumors.
Wow. Huge news. Per source: The #Patriots and #Falcons are engaged in serious conversations in regards to a trade involving Julio Jones. My source went on to add that this is pretty much a done deal. Will have more on this after the games Sunday. #NFL
— Mo Chanel (@MoMoneyChanel) October 1, 2020
Jones has been the subject of trade talks in recent years, so it’s not entirely surprising that history is supposedly rewriting itself. The Falcons, though they signed him to a three-year, $66 million extension right before the start of the 2019 season, are in free-fall mode after dropping to 0-3 in the wake of their second impossible collapse in as many weeks.
With Atlanta’s season pretty much over — teams that start 0-3 hardly ever make the playoffs — and a coaching change seemingly imminent, it wouldn’t be groundbreaking news if they were fielding offers on Jones, who would likely prefer to spend his remaining prime years (he turned 31 in February) on a contender.
However, just because the Patriots check the boxes of needing a wideout and presenting an opportunity to win doesn’t mean they are going to forfeit a haul of draft capital for an oft-injured player in Jones. To nobody’s surprise, NFL insider Benjamin Allbright swooped in and promptly shot the rumor down after it began making the rounds on social media.
From what I understand that Julio Jones rumor going around is false.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) October 1, 2020
What else did you expect?
We’d obviously take Jones on the Patriots in a heartbeat regardless of what the Falcons would potentially demand in return for him, but it would be foolish for fans to put all of their eggs in this rumor’s basket considering it came from somebody who isn’t nearly as reliable as some of the esteemed reporters around the NFL.
There’s a distinct difference between being pessimistic and realistic, and we are undoubtedly exercising the latter in urging fans to refrain from getting their hopes up.
