Falcons “Very Confident” They’ll Have Five-Year Deal In Place With Julio Jones “Very, Very Soon”

Update:

Falcons owner Arthur Blank tells Gil Brandt of NFL Media that he’s “very confident” they will have a five-year contract extension in place “very, very soon.”

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Falcons owner Arthur Blank told reporters on Sunday that contract talks between the Falcons and WR Julio Jones are progressing, via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.

However, Blank doesn’t have a  timetable for a deal to get done at this point in time.

“We’re in the middle of those discussions,” Blank said. “We expect Julio to be a lifer for the Falcons. We’re moving forward and have every reason to be positive and be enthusiastic about it.”

Blank confirmed that they believe Jones is deserving of a contract that would pay him similarly to the $14 million per year Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant received in their new extensions.

“I think whatever the market is in the league, we look at Julio as certainly being in that class,” Blank said. “The specifics, his length of contract and where he is in his contract terms is different than those players [Bryant and Thomas]. All of that needs to be built into the new deal. But we view [Jones] as one of the top receivers in the NFL, and I think most people do as well.”

Blank added that he really isn’t concerned about Jones’ prior foot injuries.

“I think we’ve gotten the best medical advice, really, in the world,” Blank said. “And he followed their program last year to a T. This year, he’s been able to do more during the offseason, and I think that reflects in the way he looks at camp and the way he’s working.”

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.

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.

We’ll have more regarding Jones and the Falcons as the news is available.