The Atlanta Falcons are potentially going to trade Julio Jones this offseason and the LA Chargers, with ample cap space, are one of the teams that could be in the mix for the first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Earlier today, I broke down the three reasons why trading for Jones is a no-brainer. While many fans seemed to agree, there definitely were those against a potential trade for Jones.
I get it. Trades are a big deal and you never want your favorite team to be on the losing side of a trade. However, most of the counterpoints against a potential Julio trade are easily dissectable. So that is exactly what we are going to do here.
Let’s dissect some of the Julio Jones trade counterpoints to hammer home the fact that the Chargers should make the move.
1. The LA Chargers are not getting prime Julio Jones, he is old
This is in fact true. The LA Chargers are not getting prime Julio Jones but they are still getting a dang good receiver that is going to be one of the best in the entire league.
Yes, he is entering his age 32 season and he only played nine games last season but it was the first year of his career in which he missed significant time and he was still on pace for a fantastic season despite being on a mediocre Falcons teams. Jones was on pace for over 1,300 receiving yards and 90 receptions last year.
His production would probably dip some more having to catch passes next to Keenan Allen but the Chargers could still have two receivers that legitimately combine for 2,500 yards and 200 catches. That is next-level elite.
I get the age thing, I am someone who always is wary about age and prefers the team not to get older players. But this is a Hall of Famer we are talking about. Hall of Famers are not normal players.
Larry Fitzgerald had 3,394 yards in his age 32-34 seasons, Jerry Rice had 4,601. Julio Jones has more receiving yards through his age 30 season than either of those players.