Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, citing a league source, reports that there still haven’t been any contract talks between the Falcons and WR Julio Jones regarding a long-term contract extension.
Jones is among four Pro Bowl receivers entering the final year of their respective deals and is in line for a sizable contract extension at some point.
While others like Dez Bryant have threatened to hold out if they don’t have a deal in place before the start of the season, Jones has said previously that this isn’t a consideration for him.
“I’m not going to hold out for anything,” Jones said a month ago. “My teammates need me. I’m being selfish if I’m not here and doing what I need to do.”
Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff told reporters a few months ago that they are hoping to have a long-term contract in place with Jones at some point in the “relatively near future,” but there hasn’t been any indication that they’re any closer to an agreement.
“That’s where we’ll continue to focus right now,” Dimitroff said back in May, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He’s an important part of making sure that we get things accomplished in the relatively near future.”
Jones, 26, finished out his four-year, $16.183 million rookie contract, but the Falcons protected themselves by picking up his fifth-year option that will pay him a non-guaranteed salary of $10.176 million for the 2015 season.
The Falcons can still negotiate a long-term deal that will reduce his 2015 cap figures and keep him under team control for the foreseeable future, even after the season has gotten underway.
In 2014, Jones caught 104 passes for 1,593 yards receiving and six touchdowns over the course of 15 games. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 6 receiver out of 110 qualifying players this past season.
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