Julio Jones appears to have reached an end of the road with the Atlanta Falcons. After a Hall of Fame-worthy career and the best receiver in franchise history, it’s clear salary cap issues will force the franchise to move on from their superstar. Expectations are he’ll be traded in the coming weeks. Atlanta is still trying to determine what they can get for him. A lot of Chicago Bears fans have asked the question. Could their team be a possibility?
They have a new quarterback in Justin Fields. It makes sense to surround him with the best weaponry possible, right? Jones is as big of a name as it gets at the position. One would think this is something they would explore. Yet not all situations are the same. Chicago may like the idea of Jones in a Bears jersey, but is it even possible? Or practical for that matter? Let’s start with the most obvious part.
Can the Bears find a way to trade for Jones?
Yes. Technically. In order to pull it off, they would need two things: draft picks and money. Though Atlanta wants a 1st round pick for him, the likelihood is it will be closer to a Day 2 pick and change. If the Bears are committed to going after it immediately, they can find the selections necessary. The more challenging part is the money. Jones carries a $23 million cap hit with him. Even with the incoming $9 million from releasing Charles Leno post-June 1st, Chicago doesn’t have anything close to that.
To find the necessary space, they would have to do one of two things. Either trade Allen Robinson to another team or rescind his franchise tag, allowing him to become a free agent. Either way, the Bears would secure an additional $17.98 million. That would create the wiggle room needed for a deal to happen. Yet it doesn’t answer the other part of the question.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Should they do it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Gm7tuhmbo&ab_channel=FunhuntingFunhuntingVerified
Julio Jones trade has more cons than pros
The upside is he’s a star who is good for at least 1,300 yards every year when he plays close to a full season. A true vertical threat with size and elite hands. There is also the fact Chicago would control him through 2023. They would finally have a #1 receiver on some sort of long-term deal. A problem that has bedeviled them for months due to the stalling Robinson negotiations.
Is that enough to greenlight a deal? No. Jones is 32-years old. He is approaching the tail end of his prime. He’s also missed eight games combined with injuries over the past two years. It is difficult to tell how much longer he’ll play at the level people have grown accustomed to. Not to mention the Bears would be sacrificing a receiver who is highly productive, is over four years younger, and will ultimately cost less to extend.
There just isn’t enough logic behind such a move.
A Julio Jones trade should be for a team that thinks they’re close to a Super Bowl run. He’s that proverbial cherry on the sundae who can give them a major short-term boost to hopefully get them over the hump. That is not where the Bears are. They should be looking for long-term investments that can hopefully grow with their young quarterback. Robinson makes way more sense than Jones ever would.