GM Thomas Dimitroff announced late last night that the two sides have finally ended their stalemate and Julio will report to camp after agreeing to a contract “adjustment”. The details of the new contract haven’t been announced yet, but it’s fair to assume it has more to do with Julio’s money for this season and beyond being guaranteed. None of the money left on his current deal was owed to him if the Falcons were to release him. Julio could still be getting a pay increase, but I’m willing to bet that it has more to do with job security with the remaining 3 years on his deal.***
After seeing what happened to Odell Beckham Jr., it had to be in the back of Jones’ mind that a career threatening injury could be around the corner. This gives him a bit of insurance, along with likely not costing the Falcons any extra cap space. It’s also assumed the sides will meet again next offseason to discuss re-working Julio’s contract to make him one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL. This is good for the Falcons. Fans may be disgruntled by the fact that Julio wants more money than is on his current deal, but you don’t want a guy like Jones hitting the open market. Receivers in free agency tend to get very overpaid, and who’s to say a team like the Jets wouldn’t throw gaudy amounts of money at Jones; something the Falcons couldn’t match.
The important thing is that Dimitroff has seemingly made things right with Atlanta’s star receiver, and if Julio is happy and playing at the level he can; Falcons fans should be happy. Next summer, however, could be a different story.
Stay tuned.
*** 10:11 AM UPDATE: The Athletic has reported Julio is getting an extra $2 million after converting some of his 2019 salary into a bonus. It will lower his 2019 salary, but this likely won’t matter due to the fact that he will be negotiating a new contract next summer.