Report: Falcons 'uneasy' about Jones' absence, relationship with T.O.
The Atlanta Falcons are expected to work out any contractual differences with Julio Jones, but the team remains uneasy about his absence from minicamp, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The team announced last week that Jones won't appear at minicamp even though he has three years remaining on his contract. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said negotiations have been "productive and constructive," but the team remains wary.
"The fact that he's running around with Terrell Owens has the front office uneasy. The fact that he's held out and is kind of bucking the whole brotherhood thing has them a little bit uneasy, too. They'll have to mend some fences, no question about it, once he returns," Ledbetter said Monday on ESPN730AM.
He added he expects a deal to be reached in enough time for Jones to make it to training camp on time and characterizes the current situation as "nothing major." Nonetheless, some damage control is required.
"It's in a bad place right now," Ledbetter said of the relationship between player and team. "The coach was expecting him in here."
Jones signed a five-year, $71.2-million extension in 2015, however, he's currently the eighth-highest paid receiver in terms of annual average salary. He makes $14.2 per season, a figure eclipsed recently by Jarvis Landry and Sammy Watkins.