Ravens willing to trade for Julio Jones ‘if the price is right’

The Baltimore Ravens might not be completely out of the market for Julio Jones just yet, despite recent rumors that the team isn’t interested.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said during an appearance on SportsCenter on Saturday that the Ravens would be willing to get involved in Jones’ trade market “if the price is right.”

This directly conflicts previous reports that indicated Jones was “not on the radar” of the organization and that they were content with their young core of wide receivers.

But if Fowler is to be believed, it seems as though there might still be hope for a trade after all.

The Ravens could still explore a Julio Jones trade

Rumors connecting Jones to the Ravens have dated back months now, but in recent days, despite his trade market heating up, it’s seemed as though the Ravens were steering clear for a variety of reasons.

For starters, the financial implications of such a deal would be challenging. Baltimore would be forced to clear cap space in order to make a trade work, and this wouldn’t just be a one-year move either.

Jones is signed through 2023 with no clear out in his contract until after the 2022 season. That means he’ll be taking up quite a bit of cap space in both 2021 and 2022.

Hardly an ideal situation for a Ravens team with multiple large extensions due in the near future to players like Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews, not to mention the likes of Bradley Bozeman and DeShon Elliott — among others.

It’s hard to see the Ravens making it work from a financial perspective, although it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

Also worth considering is that the team already invested quite a bit into the wide receiver position this offseason signing Sammy Watkins in free agency and adding Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Throw in Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews, as well as young developing players like Devin Duvernay and James Proche and it’s clear the Ravens don’t need Julio Jones.

But if the price is right, they might make a move. Don’t rule them out just yet.