This offseason there are several marquee wide receivers looking to get new contracts. Right now, Calvin Johnson sets the bar on a receiver's contracts after signing a seven-year, $113 million deal to make him the highest paid receiver in the league. Heading into the 2015 season, everyone from Julio Jones to Dez Bryant to Demaryius Thomas are hoping to get close to those numbers as their respective teams wait for the market to set which might anger the players.
According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, the Atlanta Falcons are making Jones' contract a priority now that free agency and the NFL Draft are all wrapped up. General manager Thomas Dimitroff made it clear that the team was beginning negotiations with Jones' agent, Jimmy Sexton, with the goal to have a deal complete before Week 1 of the season. Dimitroff would not entertain the idea of waiting for the market to set before getting Jones signed to a deal, something that will either hurt or help negotiations.
"There is no question that our focus in the future will be on Julio Jones and where we are," Dimitroff said, via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. "I don't want to get into specifics about the timing of that, obviously. But now that the draft is over and we continue to build this football team, we understand that Julio is a very important part of our building and evolving as a championship-type team."
The Falcons are not taking the path the Dallas Cowboys are choosing for Bryant. Team vice president Stephen Jones told season-ticket holders that a deal for the wide receiver is extremely unlikely because he has no idea what the market is supposed to be. The Cowboys appear content with waiting things out while the Falcons could be the ones to set the bar for everyone else.
"No one has been able to really figure out what they think the market should be," Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. "I think ultimately we'll get this done. No one wants to have Dez long term involved with the Dallas Cowboys more so than our organization, Jerry and myself. Our goal is to get it done, get it done long term, so we can move forward and let Dez continue to make all the great plays he's made up until this point."
The Falcons are confident that keeping Jones around is the key to a championship team. Outside of injuries, Jones has been nothing short of a threat on the field ranking in the top five of receivers each season. His emergence has helped with the slow decline of Roddy White and the departure of Tony Gonzalez as Jones has become Matt Ryan's safety blanket.
While Jones headlines the receiving class, Tevin Coleman could become the new rushing start. The rookie turned a few heads during the weekend's mini-camp according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution and is now expected to contend for the starting job over Devonta Freeman and Antone Smith.
"I'm going to be the best rookie running back (from this class)," Coleman said, via AtlantaFalcons.com. "I'm coming out to be the starter, and I'm going to work like the starter."