According to BetOnline.ag, the San Francisco 49ers have the second-best odds to land Julio Jones, should the Atlanta Falcons choose to trade the future Hall of Fame wide receiver. Only the Baltimore Ravens own better odds as a potential trade partner.
Below are the NFL teams with the best odds to acquire Jones, as of Friday morning, per BetOnline.ag.
- Baltimore Ravens +275
- San Francisco 49ers +300
- New England Patriots +450
- Los Angeles Chargers +600
- Tennessee Titans +600
- Indianapolis Colts +700
- Green Bay Packers +900
- Philadelphia Eagles +1000
- New York Giants +1400
- Buffalo Bills +1400
- Dallas Cowboys +1600
Jones' salary might be too high for the Falcons to hold onto the seven-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time first-team All-Pro. Jones is slated to earn $15.3 million in base salary in 2021 and carries a salary-cap hit of $23.05 million for the upcoming season. An interested team would only be on the hook for the base salary.
The Falcons own the third-least amount of cap space among the 32 NFL teams — $410,351, per OverTheCap.com. Moving on from Jones might be their only option.
San Francisco currently has nearly $17.7 million in salary-cap space, per OverTheCap.com. Of course, the team will want to set aside some money for the remaining unsigned rookies and any potential in-season transactions. The Niners also have to consider future contract extensions for players like linebacker Fred Warner. Any money left over from this season will carry over into the next.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan recently praised Jones when asked about the receiver, who he coached for two seasons in Atlanta, during Michael Irvin's podcast. Of course, Shanahan wanted to be careful while discussing a player currently under contract by another team.
"Julio Jones, for everybody, especially if you had a chance to coach him, he's what you're saying and more," Shanahan said. "I mean, the dude is one-of-a-kind. He makes coaching a lot — a lot — easier. That's why everyone feels the same about Julio. That's why I don't worry about saying that. That's like common knowledge. Everyone knows Julio is on a different level. That's why he's a special guy."
Former 49ers offensive lineman Joe Staley recently suggested that his former team would be a good landing spot for the veteran receiver.
"Kyle already knows exactly how to get him the ball," Staley wrote via Twitter in response to Bleacher Report asking fans to comment on which team would be the most dangerous new destination for Jones.