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The Atlanta Falcons were rumored to want a first-round draft pick for Julio Jones before the 2021 NFL Draft. Now that the draft is over, it's unlikely that the Falcons will receive that in return for their star wide receiver. Jones is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL but he has three things working against him.
NFL Trade Rumors: Why isn't Julio Jones worth trading a first-round draft pick?
#1 Julio Jones' injury has an 83% chance of recurring in 2021
According to Sports Injury Predictor, Julio Jones is at high risk of re-aggravating his hamstring in 2021 and has an 83% chance of getting injured during the 2021-2022 NFL season. The veteran wide receiver has suffered a total of 27 injuries throughout his NFL career.
The majority of his injuries have been to the lower half of his body on the right side. Julio Jones' injury during the 2020-2021 season was to his left hamstring, and he aggravated the same problem in September, October, November and December of last season. This is why the Sports Injury Predictor shows that Julio Jones has a 83% of getting injured, which lowers his value.
#2 Father time may be catching up with Julio Jones
Julio Jones has only played a total of three full seasons without injury throughout his 10-year NFL career. He will be entering the 2021-2022 season at the age of 32 and his injuries are starting to take longer to heal.
Although Julio Jones hasn't suffered a major injury, it's the smaller injuries that are nagging him. A grade two hamstring sprain held him to just nine games last season.
Jones has suffered eight different injuries to his left hamstring throughout his career. It started as a grade 1 strain and moved to grade 2, it's only a matter of time until it hits grade 3.
Hamstring Grades
- Grade one: T2 hyperintense signal about a tendon or muscle without visible disruption of fibers
- Grade two: T2 hyperintense signal around and within a tendon or muscle with fiber disruption spanning less than half the tendon or muscle width
- Grade three: Disruption of muscle or tendon fibers over more than half the muscle or tendon width as manifest by T2 hyperintense signal occupying the position of the injured tendon.
(All medical information was supplied by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health)
#3 Julio Jones' contract isn't easy to take on
According to spotrac.com, Julio Jones signed a three-year, $66 million extension with the Atlanta Falcons in 2019. He is under contract until the 2024 NFL offseason, which is a problem for the trade. Jones is set to make $23 million in 2021 and $19.2 million in 2022 and 2023 before hitting the market.
If NFL teams want to land Julio Jones, they'll need some of their higher-paid players to restructure their contracts. DeAndre Hopkins has mentioned on his Twitter account that he's willing to restructure his deal to land Julio Jones.
Is it worth it with the injuries and Jones' age? It only makes sense for NFL teams that are in win-now mode.
