By: TJ Hartnett

GeorgiaSportsEdition.com news services

Julio Jones has two years left (and over $21 million) on the five year, $71.25 million contract extension that he signed with the Atlanta Falcons in August 2015, but that hasn’t stopped his contract situation from being in the headlines across both Atlanta and the National Football League.

That’s because Julio thinks he’s earned himself a raise. This is not news, as prior to the 2018 campaign there, were rumors abound of Julio holding out during the preseason.

It didn’t shake out that way, with the Falcons moving some money around and taking better care of the star wide receiver for the year. A $2.8 million raise will get most anyone to show up for work.

And Jones showed up in 2018, leading the league with 1,677 receiving yards on 113 catches and 8 touchdowns. His 10 100-yard games set a franchise record for most such games in a single season.

So, the question that now faces the Arthur Blank and the Atlanta Falcons is this: how much money should be thrown at Julio Jones? He’ll be 30 when next season starts. So, should they make him the NFL’s highest paid receiver?

There are plenty of indicators that the Falcons are willing to open up the checkbook for their young cornerstone. Blank himself has mentioned that he’d like to “take care” of the players that deserve it, specifically name-dropping Julio.

For the sake of comparison, New York Giants’ star Odell Beckham Jr. is leading the wide receiving charge at a hefty $18 million average per year, nearly $4 million above Julio’s current average, which sits at 11^th highest.

There’s a chance that Julio could ask for well over Beckham’s price, even flying past $20 million average per year with $70 million guaranteed, also higher than Beckham’s number.

Jones’ teammate Matt Ryan was briefly the highest-paid quarterback in the league, thanks to a huge five year deal he signed last year that was ultimately surpassed by the contract Aaron Rodgers inked with Green Bay. So, we know that Atlanta will pony up when they think it’s deserved.

Plus, they’ll likely have the salary cap space in 2019 to get Jones past Beckham if they want. Julio, for his part, has said numerous times that being the highest paid isn’t his goal, just to get paid what he’s worth. But that may mean the same thing.

It took Julio just 104 games to accumulate 10,000 yards, the fastest in the history of the NFL. He’s also got “first receiver to have five 1,400-yard seasons” on his resume, to supplement the six Pro Bowl selections he’s already racked up. And he’s shown no indication of slowing down.

In fact, his league-leading yard total is all the more impressive given his battles with injuries in 2018.

2019 should shape up to be a success for Julio as well. We don’t know who he’ll be working with on the sidelines after the Falcons fired offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, but even under Sark – an oft-maligned OC – Julio still produced huge numbers.

Whoever the Falcons find to fill that role shouldn’t affect the massive pay day coming in Julio’s direction.

Whether or not he rises to meet or exceed the record for players at his position, the Falcons seem ready to pay Julio and that’s good. He’s a crucial part of the Falcons’ offense, and even though that unit as a whole hasn’t consistently impressed since the record-setting 2016 season, Julio is a major asset to the team.

There are also negative implications if Atlanta tries to underpay or lowball Jones, who has shown willingness to advocate for himself but that seems like an unlikely outcome.

Julio Jones is going to get the money he deserves before too long. The question is: how much is that?