Patriots: Julio Jones trade hinging on unexpected factor for New England

Though it’s been quiet on the Julio Jones trade front in recent days, there’s still reason to believe that the New England Patriots are still in the market for his services.

Not only have they had “internal discussions” about trading for the Falcons superstar, but Jones is apparently eyeing Cam Newton as his next quarterback.

If that wasn’t enough to get your hopes up, the Patriots are largely the betting favorites to land Jones by most oddsmakers.

If you think about it, the only drawback from a potential Jones trade is the draft pick compensation New England would likely have to cough up. After all, they have the necessary cap room to absorb his three-year, $66 million extension, which will kick in next season, right?

Well, we thought that was the case.

As ESPN insider Mike Reiss noted in his latest column, however, the Patriots might have to perform some financial gymnastics to make a deal work, which is unexpected given their current cap situation.

The Patriots landing Julio Jones is hinging on an unexpected factor.

"“Bringing Jones aboard on his current contract would mean other dominoes have to fall to create salary-cap space to get through this season, and there’s also projecting ahead to 2022 when the club is already within range of a $208.2 million cap ceiling,” Reiss wrote. “I would be surprised if the Patriots over-extend themselves in any possible trade talks; it would have to be a sweet deal to take on the financial strain.”"

The Patriots currently have $16.1 million in remaining cap space, which is good for the seventh-highest amount in the NFL, if you can believe it. In other words, they’ll have to create some wiggle room to be able to meet his $23.05 million cap hit for next season. That might seem complicated on paper, but all it would require is converting some of that into his signing bonus.

Though that’s the easiest contingency plan, it’s far from their only option.

If New England’s raved-about culture is still as unshakeable as it was during their prime dynasty years and the end of Tom Brady’s 20-year tenure, they should have a wave of players who are willing to restructure their respective contracts. That’s another way the Patriots could free up the requisite cap space to take on Jones’ deal.

It obviously isn’t an ideal situation, but when you consider that teams like the Seahawks ($4.7 million in remaining cap space), the Titans ($3.6 million in remaining cap), and the Ravens ($9.9 million in remaining cap) are all reportedly in the market for Jones, the Patriots should be able to create over $4 million pretty easily.

Not only that, but Jones is only owed $26 million over the next two seasons. That proves the Patriots should disregard the supposed financial headache of acquiring Jones and just pull the trigger before this opportunity, which could open their championship window, eludes them and they’re stuck with a middling receiving corps.

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