The Las Vegas Raiders are apparently among the betting favorites to land Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones. Would the Silver and Black actually pull the trigger on a deal?
The wide receiver position’s in an interesting place at the moment for the Raiders. Yes, youth, speed, and talent are plentiful throughout the room but it might not be enough. There’s certainly a lot of potential with the likes of Henry Ruggs III, Bryan Edwards, and John Brown. The team also has the benefit of having Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller take some of the pressure off the receiver corps. Nevertheless, adding a proven talent in the form of Julio Jones would have a bevy of positive effects.
One issue surrounding a possible acquisition of Jones would be the financial ramifications of such a deal. However, if Jon Gruden really wants Jones on the Raiders, finances be damned, they’ll find a way. We’ve heard that Las Vegas has been in play for Jones all offseason, so none of this should be a surprise. On the other hand, Matt Severance of SportsLine recently pointed that landing Jones won’t be so cut and dry.
“The Las Vegas Raiders don’t have a true No. 1 receiver among Henry Ruggs III, John Brown, and Hunter Renfrow but they would have to do some cap gymnastics to get Jones.”
What do the odds say for the Raiders?
As stated before, there’s plenty of talent and potential but there’s no proven number one receiver on the roster, though Brown has two 1,000 yard-plus seasons under his belt. With that being said, how do the odds look like for the Silver and Black in all this talk surrounding Jones? According to Severance, some of the odds are 49ers +250, Raiders +300, Patriots +500, and Chargers +700.
It definitely would be bad news for the Raiders if their AFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, landed Jones. In the end, anything can happen in the NFL and more importantly, Gruden often gets what he wants. Raider Nation, at least those that don’t care for Jones, should brace themselves as these talks heat up.
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*Top Photo: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
