Happy campers
Julio Jones on time with Falcons set for practices
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn had good reason not to worry about Julio Jones showing up for training camp.
Jones told Quinn weeks ago he would report on time, even as the wide receiver sought to have his contract renegotiated. To outside observers, though, a training camp holdout appeared to be Jones’ best path to a new deal.
Finally, the Falcons announced close to midnight Wednesday they had reached an agreement to renegotiate Jones’ deal next year. The news came about 16 hours before the team’s deadline for players to report. The Falcons, who open training camp today, said Jones reported before Thursday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
“I probably didn’t feel the same stress that you and the fan base had,” Quinn said at a news conference Thursday. “There were some reports regarding him not coming. I’d known he was coming to camp for a while. That’s part of good communication, player to coaches.”
Quinn said he spoke with Jones earlier this month when the veteran receiver participated in an annual offseason passing camp in California led by Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.
“It was probably during that time that I felt comfortable he was coming to camp,” Quinn said.
The reassurance from Jones was especially important after he did not participate in the Falcons’ mandatory minicamp in June. Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff were in good spirits Thursday as they discussed how they avoided the potential distraction of a holdout by one of the team’s most prominent players.
It has been a good week for the Falcons’ leadership team. Dimitroff and Quinn have new three-year contract extensions, which were announced Wednesday.
Jones, a two-time AllPro first-team member and a five-time Pro Bowl selection, wasn’t happy a flurry
“I’d known he was coming to camp for a while. That’s part of good communication, player to coaches.”
— COACH DAN QUINN
of new contracts signed by other top NFL wide receivers moved him down the list of highest-paid players at the position. He is entering the third year of a fiveyear, $71.5 million contract that includes $47 million in guaranteed money.
The Falcons managed to make Jones happy with an undisclosed financial “adjustment” without a dramatic change to their salary cap position for 2018. Dimitroff wouldn’t reveal details of the new agreement.
The biggest reward for Jones was the assurance the team will rework his contract after the season. That promise was delivered with more than a handshake.
“Papers are written up, sitting on a desk, waiting to be signed,” Dimitroff said.
The agreement preserves Dimitroff’s flexibility in his efforts to negotiate contract extensions for safety Ricardo Allen, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and offensive guard Jake Matthews. During the offseason, the Falcons agreed to a five-year, $150 million extension with Ryan, the most lucrative deal in NFL history. All of that left little financial space to make big changes to Jones’ deal before 2019.
“We felt like we came to a good agreement,” Dimitroff said. “We were very creative with how we put this together.”
Dimitroff said talks with Jones’ agent, Jimmy Sexton, were “never contentious at all, at least from our perspective.”
Jones is expected to talk with reporters today. He was not seen during the 30-minute period reporters were able to view players reporting to the team’s practice facility. His teammates seemed to have little concern about the matter.
“Oh, I don’t know what’s going on with him,” offensive guard Andy Levitre said when asked about the team’s agreement with Jones. “He’s coming? I’m expecting everybody to be here, I guess.”
Added cornerback Brian Poole: “That’s exciting. That’s definitely exciting. Yeah. That’s exciting.”
Poole said players don’t get involved in teammates’ contract talks.
“When it comes to that kind of stuff, everybody kind of worries about himself,” Poole said.
When it comes to Falcons leadership, though, having one of the league’s top receivers on the practice field alleviates worries. Dimitroff and Quinn know Jones is crucial to the team’s hopes for a third straight playoff appearance.
Said Quinn: “I sleep a hell of a lot better at night.”