Steelers won’t be tempted to trade for Julio Jones anytime soon
By Tommy Jaggi
Julio Jones could be made available for trade, but the Steelers aren’t going to be the team making the call for the All-Pro receiver.
It’s a hot topic around the NFL right now. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones could be made available for trade, and there could be dozens of teams calling to see what they are asking. It’s not every day that such a high-profile player is given permission to seek a trade. However, Steelers fans probably shouldn’t start getting their hopes up for something like this to happen anytime soon.
Pittsburgh showed that they are willing to make big splash moves in this rapidly closing Super Bowl window. During the 2019 NFL Draft, they aggressively moved into the top 10 for star Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. Just five months later, they traded their 2020 first-round pick to acquire Dolphins safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick.
If there is a player who could give the Steelers what they are looking for, Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert have shown that they aren’t afraid to make some bold moves. Unfortunately, I just don’t see this one as a possibility.
Why Julio Jones doesn’t make sense for Steelers
Julio Jones has an outrageous cap number of $23 million this year, according to Over the Cap. Because $7.75 million of this was converted to a roster bonus, the #Steelers are still looking at $15.3 million they would have to dish out this year. Julio is under contract at roughly $19.2 million per year through 2023.
Had this trade scenario come one year later – when the Steelers are set to have the most effective cap space in the league – they may have been able to pull this off. However, it’s just not financially possible right now without a few other cuts, restructures, or extensions and those moves seem very unlikely this late in the process.
A similar trade for a star wide receiver worked out beautifully for the Arizona Cardinals last year. The nation was shocked when Texans former head coach and general manager, Bill O’Brien, looked to trade DeAndre Hopkins for chump change. In his first season with Kyler Murray in Arizona, Hopkins had 115 catches for 1,407 yards and 6 touchdowns en route to his 5th Pro Bowl appearance.
While money is the biggest deciding factor here, it’s worth noting that the Steelers have four young, capable wide receivers who should be improved with another year of experience under their belts. Pittsburgh brought JuJu Smith-Schuster back on a one-year deal, and Chase Claypool showed a ton of promise during his rookie campaign.
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Though I’m sure they would like to throw their hat in the ring for one of the league’s most dominant wide receivers to help out Ben Roethlisberger in this final Super Bowl window, securing an expensive player like Julio Jones is just a pipe dream this year. The Steelers still want to bolster their roster in 2021, they will have to look for help elsewhere.