Star wide receiver Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons has signed a three-year extension with the team worth a reported $66 million dollars.
Julio Jones Gets His Deal
It was unclear if wide receiver Julio Jones was going to play in Atlanta’s week one game against the Minnesota Vikings. All of that was settled when Jones signed a three-year extension worth $66 million dollars. The deal makes Julio Jones the highest paid receiver in the NFL. There has been lot of speculation about wide receiver contracts all summer. The Chiefs just signed Tyreek Hill to an extension a few days ago. It was always expected that the Falcons were going to make the Jones the highest paid in the game.
One of the things about this contract that is historic is the guaranteed money. It has been reported that Julio Jones will receive $64 million at the time of signing. That is the most money at the time of signing for a non QB ever. Julio Jones regarded by most experts as the best receiver in the game.
The Falcons Had No Choice but to Make This Deal
The way the Falcons are set up, they could not afford to lose Julio Jones. While they do have other talented receivers on the roster, there are few players in the league that can be compared to Jones. He is a physical freak who is a matchup nightmare for defenses. On top of that he is Matt Ryan’s favorite target, almost to a fault.
With all of the money they have invested in Matt Ryan, it only makes sense to keep one of the best in the business there with him. In terms of his place in franchise history, he will be the Atlanta Falcons all time leader in yards in the next few weeks. It will be the ninth franchise record for Julio Jones.
Now the Falcons have their core intact, including franchise QB Matt Ryan. They haven’t been able to make it back to the Super Bowl after their heart breaking loss to the Patriots a few years ago but that is the goal.
Julio Jones is Already an All Time Great
There is still a long way to go in his career but Julio Jones is already one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. That’s what made the decision for the Falcons so easy. Since being drafter in 2011, he has made the Pro Bowl six times. He has been named an All-Pro four times. He has had five season where he averaged over 100 yards a game. The fastest receiver in league history to 10,000 yards. He has the highest yards per game average (96.7) in league history as well.
That’s quite the resume and by the time it’s all said and done, he will probably break several more all time records. His ultimate goal however is to lead this Falcons franchise back to the Super Bowl. He has already signed a deal that should see him finish his career in Atlanta so he will get every chance to make that happen.
