Julio Jones Getting Paid; Smart or Risky?
The Atlanta Flacons decided to give their star wide receiver an extension on Saturday. The deal is worth 5 years, $71.25 million dollars. Did the Falcons give their leader the money at the right time, or was this too big of a gamble?
Typically in the NFL, players such as Dez Bryant and Russell Wilson played out their contracts, showing what type of range they are worth. As for Jones, the Falcons decided to hand him over his salary before the season even started.
While this is uncommon, it could be a huge motivational factor for Jones. Now that he is being paid as a top wide receiver, he can go out and prove he is worth every penny (which I believe he is).
A downside to this plan is that maybe since Julio is already being paid, he won’t feel pressure to exceed his 2014 statistics.
Players on the final year of their contract typically go out and prove themselves to organizations, but Jones now has that monkey off of his back since he has a contract extension.
The Falcons head into 2015 with a wild card in Roddy White, and question marks in the backfield. Expect Ryan to look Jones’ way on multiple occasions, but don’t expect Julio Jones to have that same thrive as he did in 2014.
