Julio Jones may have just been ambushed with questions about his possible trade without knowing he was live on television. Shannon Sharpe called Julio Jones from his cell phone live on FS1’s “Undisputed” this morning. Without telling Jones they were live, he asked “do you want to go to the Cowboys, or do you want to stay in Atlanta?”
Jones was uncharacteristically candid. “Oh, I’m out of there man,” he responded.
Even Skip Bayless looked shocked, holding his hands out and saying “he’s out, he’s out of there. He told you.”
Sharpe followed up by asking ideally where Jones would like to go, and he answered in kind by saying “I want to win.”
“Well don’t go to Dallas. You ain’t winning if you go to Dallas,” Sharpe said with a laugh.
“Listen, come on man, you already know I know,” Jones said.
FS1’s Jenny Taft can be heard saying from the background “can you remind him we’re on television right now?”
“Julio, we’ll talk later. I appreciate you calling me back — we’re on air, but I appreciate you calling me back,” Sharpe said, tacking on the fact that they were on air after a minute of live conversation.
“I ain’t going to Dallas, man. I never thought about going to them,” Jones reiterated.
It’s an odd scenario. There has been speculation about Jones potentially being traded since before the NFL Draft took place.
In the wake of this live report with Jones confirming that he’s out, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport are now confirming more details about the situation. According to Schefter, Atlanta has asked teams that have inquired about Jones for a first-round draft pick. Rapoport has also reported that the situation started with Jones requesting a trade a few months ago.
It looks like the secret is out. Jones, who is 32 years old, is as dominant a wide receiver as the league has seen. He has the highest average receiving yards per game in NFL history with 95.5. He’s a dominant threat at all levels of the field, and can provide a contending team with an elite number one wide receiver.
Jones carries a $15.3 million guaranteed salary this year. A few teams with the highest amount of cap space: Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and the New England Patriots.