Unless Adam Thielen Is Involved, Vikings Chatter About Julio Jones Is Silly
Dustin Baker
|
Julio Jones made an impromptu stop on the FOX Network’s Undisputed show when co-host Shannon Sharpe gave the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver a call on Monday. What felt like an ad-libbed trip to a person’s voicemail, turned into a rather stunning television moment.
The 32-year-old Jones confirmed that he will not return to Atlanta in 2021 and even seemed sour on the notion of joining the Dallas Cowboys.
Just as the last few weeks have theorized, Jones will be on the move via trade — probably after June 1st. Some VikingsTwitter nincompoop suggested in [what appeared to be] a parody tweet that Jones could join the Vikings.
Last season, brief rumors crept up suggesting that Odell Beckham from the Cleveland Browns might be dealt to the Vikings, acting as a defacto replacement for the departed-to-Buffalo, Stefon Diggs. That one actually made a bit of sense because folks did not know at the time that Justin Jefferson would have the best receiving-yards rookie season in NFL history. Now, it would be foolish to trade for Beckham.
And, it would be equally as silly to trade for Julio Jones.
Vikings Are a Run-First Team
Well, hell yes, Julio Jones with white horns on his helmet would be ultra-exciting. He’s probably a Top 10 wide receiver all-time, and Minnesota could benefit from his production.
But under this leadership — that of the defense-always Mike Zimmer — Jones would be lonely in a Vikings offense (or that could beset Adam Thielen). In 2020, the Vikings ran the ball 45.75% of the time — the sixth-most in the league. The year before that, 2019, Minnesota rushed the pigskin the fourth-most leaguewide. Then in 2018, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo was terminated because he threw the ball too much.
Zimmer wants to run the ball — whether you like it or not. It’s the reason Dalvin Cook is paid handsomely. Left to his own devices, Zimmer would run the ball manically, play stingy defense, and get the hell off the field with a win. Zimmer will take his shots downfield — see: 2019 playoff game at New Orleans — but the Vikings head coach prefers a philosophy that runs to set up the pass. This is well-known.
Jones would be an embarrassment of receiving riches on a team that openly broadcasts a run-first doctrine. Call in incongruency.
Unless Adam Thielen Is Included in the Deal
If Vikings folklore beholder, Adam Thielen, was included in the rumors, the deal begins to make sense. Jones carries a $23 million cap hit in 2021, so some fragment to a deal, other than draft picks, may be necessary for a team slim on cap space to effectuate a Jones trade. Thielen’s cap hit is small for this season (about $6 million), ballooning to $17+ million in 2022 and beyond.
Because one or all of Justin Jefferson, Thielen, or Jones would be devoid of the passing-game targets they crave in a Vikings, Dalvin Cook-led offense, jettisoning Thielen could potentially placate the hungry mouths of Jefferson and Jones. This is certainly not a full-throated endorsement to trade Thielen anywhere, but including the other target-needy asset in the offense would free up Jones for the target attention he necessitates.
In theory, the Vikings could totally scrap the idea of giving Cook his copious amount of touches — morphing into a three-deep team like the Randy Moss, Cris Carter, and Jake Reed era — but pigs would probably take flight when that occurred.
Put bluntly, Minnesota doesn’t really need an All-Pro wide receiver. Are there any All-Pro EDGE rushers that want to be traded?
Keep It Real: Just Sign a Decent WR3
Instead of spreading Julio Jones rumors, perhaps the common-sense solution is to finally emphasize the WR3 spot on the roster in a reasonable manner. For too long, the WR3 hole has been filled by men like Aldrick Robinson, Laquon Treadwell, Olabisi Johnson, and Chad Beebe. Johnson and Beebe could mature into productive WR3 options. Yet, to date, both are closer to WR4 types.
Other free-agent WR3s exist on the open market. Trade assets need not be proffered for such men. Think Dede Westbrook, Larry Fitzgerald, or Golden Tate.