The Las Vegas Raiders will have some tough decisions to make later today when the 2021 NFL Draft gets underway. Although the team is solely focused on the draft and what young players they want to bring in, the rumors are starting to swirl about a potential trade for star wide receiver Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons.
The consensus seems to be that it would be difficult for most teams to pull off a trade for the five-time All-Pro wideout, but that hasn’t prevented teams like the Raiders from sending offers to the Falcons.
According to Alicia Colegrove, the Raiders are among three teams in the NFL that have sent intriguing offers to Atlanta for the 32-year-old.
At this time I have heard the #Falcons have had good offers from Julio Jones especially from the #Ravens and #Raiders and #Titans. #NFLDraft #NFLDraft2021 pic.twitter.com/w2G5eIAUCQ
— Alicia Colegrove (@nflftbltalk) April 29, 2021
The real question moving forward for the Raiders is what Jon Gruden and company would be willing to give up for the Falcons superstar. Jones isn’t getting any younger at 32 and isn’t a dominant force in terms of hauling in touchdown passes as he cracked double digits only in his career with 10 in 2012.
The Raiders did address the wide receiver position this NFL offseason after the departure of Nelson Agholor. Las Vegas brought in John Brown and Willie Snead to help fill the void, but adding Jones could be a potential game-changer for the offense as he’d immediately be the primary target for Derek Carr and make for a dynamic passing game, which saw tight end Darren Waller come into his own the last two seasons.
Last season, Jones played in only nine games for the Falcons, catching 51 passes for 771 yards and three touchdowns.
