ATLANTA—This would qualify as an 11th-hour change of heart.
On Wednesday night, the Atlanta Falcons formally announced All-Pro receiver Julio Jones would be with the team for training camp, including Friday morning's initial workout in Flowery Branch.
As such, the rumors of Jones (four-year average: 103 catches, 1,579 yards, 6 TDs) skipping some or all of the preseason have been quickly nixed, which also means the Falcons will be at full strength at the start of training camp.
"We have had continued dialogue all offseason with Julio and his representation," said Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff, in a prepared statement for the media. "We have come to an agreement with Julio, and we will re-address everything in 2019. I appreciate everyone’s hard work and communication on this.
"This adjustment does not impede us from working on other extensions with other key members of our football team. We will continue to work on those contracts going forward."
The Falcons essentially had three options for handling Jones' planned holdout:
a) Renegotiate a full contract extension with Jones, even though he had three years left on a contract worth $71.2 million, with a $10.5 million base salary for the upcoming season (source: Spotrac.com).
b) Reconfigure Jones' existing deal, perhaps converting certain incentives into immediate bonus payments, essentially boosting the receiver's 2018 money.
c) Do nothing this summer/fall and delay all substantive contract talks until next spring.
In their wisdom, the Falcons' front office opted for Option B, the most palatable plan for focusing on the coming season, without breaking the presumed policy of tearing up contracts with more than two years remaining.
And Jones' financial handlers will certainly appreciate the concession, since the Falcons also reserved the right to fine their star wideout $40,000 per day, charting every unexcused absence during training camp.
Hence, the Falcons have done a good job of allaying Jones' short-term worries, but certain lingering issues aren't necessarily going away, either. For example ...
PHOTOS | Julio Jones
**For his next extension, Jones will likely want to remain competitive with Houston's DeAndre Hopkins (five years, $81 million ... signed in 2017) and Tampa Bay's Mike Evans (five years, $82.5 million ... signed in 2017), while keeping an eye on Odell Beckham Jr.'s prospective contract extension, which could approach the $90 million mark.
**Jones and quarterback Matt Ryan may be great friends off the field, but Julio might also loathe having a base salary that's roughly one-third of his quarterback.
In May, Ryan became the NFL's highest-paid player, to the tune of five years and $150 million ... with a league-record commitment of $100 million in guaranteed money.
