Kansas City Chiefs reportedly never were close to acquiring receiver Julio Jones
On paper, the Chiefs seemed like a perfect fit for now former Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones.
Jones has been one of the NFL’s best receivers for the 10 years he’s bee in the NFL, and the thought of him joining Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes would be a no-brainer.
Instead, the Tennessee Titans traded a second-round pick in the 2022 draft and a fourth-rounder in 2023 for Jones, a two-time All-Pro selection. The Titans also will get Atlanta’s sixth-round pick in 2023.
Peter Schrager of the NFL Network reported Monday the Chiefs were never in the running for Jones.
The biggest factors in those financials mentioned by Schrager are the Chiefs’ salary-cap space and Jones contract.
Pro Football Talk reported “Jones has a fully-guaranteed base salary of $15.3 million in 2021. Another $2 million in salary is guaranteed for 2022.”
The Falcons needed to do something to free up some money. The NFLPA shows the Falcons had just $285,693 in cap space before the Jones trade. That wouldn’t be enough to sign Atlanta’s 2021 draft class.
As for the Chiefs, they have just $8,414,974 in cap space, which is not nearly enough to absorb Jones’ salary.
It would have been fun for KC fans to see Jones wearing No. 11 in Chiefs colors.
