Despite contract concerns looming, Atlanta's superstar wide receiver Julio Jones has reported to training camp.
Currently, Jones has two years left on the $71 million contract he signed in 2015. Yet, the wideout has been pushing Atlanta to consider renegotiation for some time. In fact, Jones sat out of camp last season to pressure the Falcons into adjusting his pay. But during an interview with TMZ Sports, Jones assured the Falcons owner Arthur Blank promised him that he'd be compensated.
"Mr. Blank gave us his word," Jones said. "That's golden. ... [Blank's] word is that it's going to get done. ... There's no stress on my end. I'm not thinking about it."
Although Blank insists he wants to "reward" Jones, no new deal has been announced. Still, Julio kept his word and was present at the start of Atlanta's mandatory mini-camp.
For the 2018-2019 season, Jones had the most receiving yards in the NFL at 1677 yards. He was also top five in receptions (113) and among the league's leaders in receiving touchdowns (8). Yet, according to his contract, he's just the twelfth highest-paid receiver in the NFL.
This discrepancy is something Blank acknowledges. The owner has gone on record stating that he wants to make Jones a Falcon for life and he's committed to keeping the player happy. Jones seems to believe Blank is pure in his intentions and because he's not upset with the Falcons there's no need for him to hold out.
"[Blank] makes it easy for me to go out and just work every day and not have one of those situations where there's a holdout or anything like that," Jones explained.
