LA Rams: Why No Julio Jones trade was the right choice

Okay, the saga is over. In the end, the LA Rams exhibited a remarkable amount of willpower and self-control as they were one of the only teams to be reported as saying “Thanks, but no thanks!” to the Atlanta Falcons over the chance to trade for Julio Jones. What a surprising turn of events that turned into?

In the end, there were two teams engaged in talks with the Atlanta Falcons for Julio Jones, and they were the Tennessee Titans and the LA Rams. Sure, almost all NFL teams called the Falcons to learn what the asking price was for Jones, just as an open house to promote the sale of a home will attract all the nosey neighbors who want to see what the house looks like inside. It was always going to be either the Rams or the Titans folks.  When the Rams dropped out of the race, it was down to the Titans.

The actual trade between the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans does not have much in the way of wow to it.  Here are the trade pieces:

Did you get all that? I didn’t think so. That’s a clumsy way of saying it, so perhaps there is a better presentation:

The Falcons did not land a first-round pick. They never were going to get a first-rounder any more than the San Francisco 49ers would get a first-rounder for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

This was always about the money for the Falcons, a need to unburden themselves from that contract. In the view of many, Julio Jones is not worth what he is getting paid right now, and the offer that landed him for the Titans reflects that. A second and a fourth-round pick, less the value of a sixth.  That’s the equivalent of a modest second-round pick.  Ho-hum. Why so little?