Patriots: 3 players New England could include in Julio Jones trade

The New England Patriots have been a hot topic of conversation around the NFL over the last week or so thanks to their connections to Julio Jones, who the Atlanta Falcons seem prepared to move on from considering they’re right up against the cap…and also all that other stuff.

When you consider everything Jones has given to the Falcons over the last decade, chances are they give the former No. 6 overall pick a say in where he ends up being dealt…as long as it isn’t an inner-division or NFC rival, obviously.

That puts the Patriots in a favorable situation. and the latest round of reports suggests the front office is aware of that.

Not only have they had “internal discussions” about trading for Jones, but the 32-year-old superstar reportedly wants to play with Cam Newton.

Furthermore, the Patriots have the requisite young assets and draft capital to orchestrate such a blockbuster. After all, acquiring an all-world receiver is going to cost a lot, so fans better prepare to say goodbye to some promising young talents.

So, without further ado, who could New England include in a trade for Jones?

Here are 3 players the Patriots could include in a trade for Julio Jones.

3. Jakobi Meyers

You might think it’d make sense for the Patriots to finally cut bait with N’Keal Harry in this situation. In a perfect world, New England would unload the 2019 first-round selection and a couple of picks in return for Jones, but that’s never going to happen.

The Falcons are going to demand more than a developmental project in return for their franchise cornerstone, so Jakobi Meyers is the more likely candidate to be traded following his breakout season last year when he led the team in targets (81) receptions (59) and receiving yards (729).

Though the Falcons drafted Kyle Pitts fourth overall last month, they’ll be thin at wide receiver if they end up trading Jones. Behind the seven-time Pro Bowler, all they have is Calvin Ridley, who may or may not be a true No. 1 option, Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus.

The Falcons could be interested in adding Jakobi Meyers to their WR corps.

With that in mind, Meyers would bring incredible value to the Falcons as a possession-based receiver to help balance out the deep threat Ridley, Gage and Zaccheaus provide. When you consider that Mike Davis is their current projected started at running back, Atlanta could use as many pass catchers as possible to help Ryan, who’s entering his age-36 season.