Wednesday saw two wide receivers cash in with big new contracts, which shifts the attention to a couple of other premier wideouts who are coming to the end of their current deals.
There are no looming deadlines for Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green and Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones like the one that Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas faced because of their franchise tags and neither player is talking about a holdout that would raise the urgency on discussions, but there appears to be some hope in Atlanta about getting an extension done before camp.
Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported earlier this week that the Falcons and Jones haven’t opened up contract talks yet. Despite that, McClure reports that there is “a general sense around the team” that they will be able to reach an agreement with Jones before training camp starts on July 31.
The deals signed by Bryant and Thomas (five years, $70 million for each man with Thomas getting $35 million guaranteed at signing and Bryant receiving $23 million) probably don’t hurt that feeling. Even if Jones and the Falcons aren’t up against a deadline, those deals give the sides a ballpark to use for negotiations on a deal for one of the league’s most productive wideouts.
The Falcons have done deals before camp with quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Roddy White in previous seasons, so there’s some history of things coming together in July. If they don’t, a franchise tag scenario like the ones that played out this spring and summer may be in Jones’s future.
