There will be no shortage of speculation surrounding the future of Julio Jones until the Atlanta Falcons figure out what to do with their veteran wide receiver. Jones is 32 years old but has proven to still be a productive offensive weapon.
Before lingering injuries impacted his production last season, Jones rattled off six consecutive seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards. In fact, his worst season during that span was a 1,394-receiving-yard and six-touchdown campaign in 2019.
Jones' best season came in 2015, which happens to be the first of two seasons in which Jones had an opportunity to work with then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The wideout posted a career-high 1,871 receiving yards to go along with his eight trips into the end zone.
The next season was also productive, with Jones' receiving-yard total surpassing the 1,400-yard mark.
That production with now-head coach Shanahan creates a natural link to the San Francisco 49ers while discussing Jones' future. The 49ers are one of a handful of contenders that can fit the seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro within the salary cap. What San Francisco lacks are high draft picks. Thanks to March's trade to move into position to draft quarterback Trey Lance, the Niners don't own a first-round pick until 2024. Of course, it might not cost that much to acquire Jones, despite the reports that Atlanta seeks a first-rounder as compensation.
What Atlanta really needs is to offload Jones' salary. The Falcons have just over $400,000 in cap space, per OverTheCap.com, and Jones has a cap hit of $23.05 million in 2021. Of course, his base salary of $15.3 million is all an interested team would have to worry about if a trade took place.
"Yes, the 49ers have two young, talented receivers in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk," wrote Jeffri Chadiha for NFL.com. "However, Jones is still more dangerous, and he also has a pretty good history with head coach Kyle Shanahan, which should count for plenty."
Chadiha lists the 49ers as one of five teams that should be "all in" on acquiring Jones. It's worth noting that San Francisco already owns a talented roster and is considered a contender within the NFC. Adding Jones might be enough to surpass the competition.
"Let's also not forget that the 49ers have been extremely aggressive lately when it comes to building their roster," Chadiha continues. "Along with that trade to draft Lance, they also just gave a six-year, $138.06 million contract to a 32-year-old Pro Bowl left tackle with his own history of injuries. The 49ers did that deal with Trent Williams because they wanted one of the league's best pass-blockers to protect the blind side of Lance and current starter Jimmy Garoppolo. Finding a way to make room for Jones could do even more to help those quarterbacks feel good about their offense."
Shanahan was recently asked about Jones. The coach was careful with his words, ensuring that his response could not be seen as tampering.
"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.