Ravens: Why a Julio Jones trade remains unlikely for Baltimore

The Baltimore Ravens have been connected to rumors surrounding Atlanta Falcons star wide receiver Julio Jones for quite some time now. And those rumors picked back up again this past week.

The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz reported on Thursday that the Falcons “would like to trade” Jones, and he listed the Ravens as one of the teams that might be interested.

Of course, the speculation began.

Jones remains one of the best wide receivers in football when healthy, but there are numerous obstacles that could prevent such a deal from taking place with Baltimore.

The Ravens are unlikely to commit to trading for Julio Jones

Jones is still an outstanding player, but the wide receiver position isn’t as dire of a need as it was at the beginning of the season. The Ravens signed Sammy Watkins in free agency and later added both Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace in the 2021 NFL Draft.

All three players figure to play sizable roles on offense, and that’s not even considering the likes of Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews — the two most accomplished pass-catchers in the team’s offense.

Jones would undoubtedly be an upgrade, but the Ravens aren’t as desperate for an upgrade as they were a few months ago.

Then there’s the financial aspect, the primary reason Atlanta is looking to move on.

Jones would be due over $15 million in 2021 and over $11 million in both 2022 and 2023. There is a  potential out after the 2022 season, but that’s still a hefty sum of money to commit to.

Especially with extensions for Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews looming.

The Ravens have less than $10 million in cap space at the time of writing meaning that they would have to do some cap manipulation to even make the trade work. It’s certainly possible, but what lengths will the team go to?

You also have to consider that trading for Jones will cost Baltimore significant draft capital as well. The Ravens will have to surrender at least a second-round pick and likely more to acquire the star receiver.

Julio Jones is a great player, but there are likely better ways for the Ravens to allocate their assets.

Perhaps they use their remaining cap space on a veteran pass rusher such as Justin Houston or Melvin Ingram. That would address a true need without having to mortgage future draft capital and cap flexibility.

If this trade was proposed back in February, it would be a different story. But the Ravens are content with their wide receiver corps right now.

Expect other teams to be more aggressive in their pursuit of Julio Jones.