Why the Arizona Cardinals should not trade for Julio Jones

Just because they can, the Arizona Cardinals should not trade for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones.

It appears that the Atlanta Falcons are in such a salary cap hell that they need to ship off one of the faces of their franchise, wide receiver Julio Jones. Now don’t get me wrong here. Would Jones be a better receiving option for the Arizona Cardinals than Andy Isabella, Christian Kirk, and KeeSean Johnson? He absolutely would be.

But should the Cardinals trade the draft capital necessary for another wide receiver instead of a cornerback? That answer is no. 

If there is any player Arizona should trade for, it’s Stephon Gilmore from the New England Patriots. Gilmore will only have a cap hit of around $7.7 million in 2021 if he’s traded to another team, which is a way more affordable number than what Jones would have.

Trading for Julio Jones would not fill a need for the Arizona Cardinals

If the Cardinals made a move for Jones after June 1, he would still have a big cap hit for next season ($15.3 million), and he would be put into a wide receiver room that still doesn’t know if the franchise’s own best player of all-time, Larry Fitzgerald, is coming back or not.

As much as it would’ve been great if Arizona selected any defensive player other than Zaven Collins in this year’s NFL Draft, not acknowledging the cornerback position until the fourth round was so bad it’s still difficult to get over.

Knowing Cardinals general manager Steve Keim, he probably has a deal ready to go for Jones. One that consists of tight end Maxx Williams, a 2022 seventh-round pick, and a vending machine where everything gets pinched and steals your money.

It would be best for Arizona not to trade for Jones this year. Instead, they should get a cornerback, a tight end, a running back, or just anything that this team actually needs that wasn’t accounted for in the draft.

Until proven otherwise, the Cardinals filling the holes on their roster is the best way to get better and close the gap between them, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West.