04-28-2021, 01:00 PM
(04-28-2021, 03:51 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: They can afford to sign their draft day players. Spotrac has them at $2.4m in cap space, and everyone they draft will kick a different guy off their Top 51 and . They cut a guy like Kendall Sheffield (40.3 PFF rating last year, 47.5 the year before, 0 INT and 6 Pdef in 29 games/20 starts) they save another $700k, or just have a guy do a restructuring and kick some cap hit down the road a year or two. The cap is expected to enormously rise in 2022.
The Bucs, Saints, and Bears all have less cap space than the Falcons, and the Packers, Bills, and Giants only have ~$1m more. They'll sign their draft picks too. Only the Bengals peddle the notion that you need $10m in cap space just to sign your draft picks.
Not to mention that trading Julio Jones only creates $5.3m in cap space for the Falcons in 2021. I have seen nowhere that says they are "actively shopping" Julio Jones, just plenty of things says they are willing to take calls (which everyone should be about everyone since it costs you nothing to listen).
Interesting thought. I'd love to be one of those teams that at least kicks the tires on something like this. There are obviously stages to negotiations. I don't think whoever acquires him will need to part with significant draft capital or eat his full tag for the next three years or anything even close. Discussions haven't even begun yet, presumably. I'd just want to be in the room, actively pursuing a new idea even if it doesn't materialize, as opposed to standing on the outside, watching the world go round, and holding a grudge against the entire league.
In the end, I don't think a player like Jones would even want to come here. Partly for the same reasons. But not only are we NFL wallpaper by choice, we're also coming off two abysmal seasons. He's surely looking to make a run at the Lombardi. Just viewing it through a football lens, I don't see the fit.
And apropros of nothing, I have a confession to make. I remember after we drafted AJ over Jones, tracking their careers to see if we made the right choice. Just something you do as an insecure Bengals fan lol. For the first few years it looked like we got the better player and, naturally, I started to flub my nose at the Falcons, especially after Julio hurt his foot. But I think I jinxed it. From the day he came back he just turned on the jets and obliterated our guy. There's absolutely no debate anymore. He's on his way to Canton.
I see u, Julio. You win, bruh.
