Deion Jones?

[Lupz27]

https://heavy.com/sports/new-york-jets/jets-bowler-running-could/amp/
 

On Thursday, May 5, uStadium tweeted out that Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones “is a name to watch this summer” for a potential trade.

According to uStadium there are some people in the league that believe he “could be had” for a late-round draft choice or perhaps he could even get released.

The 27-year-old originally came into the league as the No. 52 overall pick in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.

After working through his rookie contract the former LSU product re-signed withthe Falcons on a juicy four-year deal worth over $57 million.

Jones still has two years remaining on that contract for $38 million and that piece of it will have to be figured out for any trade to be consummated.

Something to watch as Kevin Knight of The Falcoholic put it on Twitter, Jones could be designated as a “post-June 1 trade” which would allow Atlanta to spread the dead cap money over multiple years to make it more palatable.

Some Connective Tissue

 

Iowa State Insider: Breece Hall can be a future All-Pro with JetsBoy Green was joined by Iowa State Football Insider Jared Stansbury (Managing Editor Cyclone Fanatic) to learn more about Breece Hall: – What makes him so special? – How good can he be in the NFL? – He can score from ANYWHERE on the field! Make sure you like the video & smash that subscribe…2022-05-05T11:00:25Z

The Jets would make plenty of sense as a landing spot on multiple fronts.

They have an opening in the starting linebacking corps that Jones could slide into. Also, there is some real connective tissue between the Falcons star and a prominent member of the Gang Green coaching staff.

Prior to Jeff Ulbrich assuming the duties as the defensive coordinator under head coach Robert Saleh he spent six years with the Dirty Birds.

During that time, Ulbrich was the linebacker’s coach and was with Jones from the moment he was drafted through the first five years of his career before he joined the Jets.

He was part of the team that scouted, identified, and then drafted Jones in the second round. Ulbrich was also a part of the development team that took him to the next level in the pros:

8.5 sacks

652 total tackles

44 pass deflections

Five touchdowns

11 interceptions

Jones is an athletic piece of clay that has a body that was chiseled out of stone. He is coming off a tough year and it is no coincidence that was the first season he wasn’t under Ulbrich’s leadership.

Perhaps reconnecting with the old coach that got him to the Pro Bowl back in 2017 is exactly what his career needs to get back on track.

No one knows him better than Ulbrich, the Jets have a clear need, and the price to acquire him would be marginal.

This is one of those potential deals that makes too much sense not to happen at some point this offseason.

 

[Sammybighead]

No chance at that price

[Joe W. Namath]

The Ulbrich connection is interesting.  I trust these guys so whatever we decide, I am good with.  I hvent watched enough Falcons football to have an opinion on if we should go after Jones.  Sounds like his play has dropped off of late.  Maybe its a scheme fit thing.

[Scoop24]

He is only  27 Thats Interesting 

[PepPep]

[Bungaman]

38 minutes ago, Sammybighead said:

No chance at that price

It depends - is there not a way we can get something else (like a good future pick) in order to eat that salary? 

[BurntDice]

I really don’t like that jetsboy green guy. He’s even more annoying than Connor Hughes which is very difficult to accomplish 

[GreenFish]

He was already paid his roster bonus for 2022. So i think we are only on the hook for his base in 2022 and his base + roster bonus in 2023

2022: 9.6

2023: 12.7

I dont know if he’s still the same player. But our staff is really familiar with him. 

[Hal N of Provo]

1 hour ago, Joe W. Namath said:

The Ulbrich connection is interesting.  I trust these guys so whatever we decide, I am good with.  I hvent watched enough Falcons football to have an opinion on if we should go after Jones.  Sounds like his play has dropped off of late.  Maybe its a scheme fit thing.

How dare you! 

JD would not trade for an expensive vet!  He will fix LB through the draft.  
 

Thank you Joe Douglas!  Thank you! 

[Doggin94it]

There's no such thing as a "post June 1 trade" 

[Doggin94it]

Also, the cap hit for Jones wouldn't be 38M for an acquiring team. That includes his prorated signing bonus and already paid roster bonus, which wouldn't transfer to an acquiring team. The cap hits would be ~10m in 22 and ~13M in 23.

Whoever wrote this doesn't understand the way the cap works. Like, not even a little bit

[Hex]

2 hours ago, Joe W. Namath said:

The Ulbrich connection is interesting.  I trust these guys so whatever we decide, I am good with.  I hvent watched enough Falcons football to have an opinion on if we should go after Jones.  Sounds like his play has dropped off of late.  Maybe its a scheme fit thing.

I think this is the first time you haven't talked about a player with definite yes or no in the sentence

[Lupz27]

2 hours ago, Sammybighead said:

No chance at that price

Someone posted earlier that the Jets wouldn’t have to take the whole thing he got some kind of roster bonus or something already.  

Yes even if it’s true it’s a decent sized contract not ridiculous but decent.
 

 I’m pretty sure the Jets have enough cap space the next 2 seasons to carry his number and heck it isn’t my money anyways ?.  

Even deeper into the contract it’s 14 million (cap hit) next season if I recall the earlier post.  Now it seems the Jets are banking on Zach Wilson to be the goods and be competitive this season like wildcard competitive and the following season they expect it to be the  first season the window to win a Super Bowl is open and in that case it’s all in, pay all the vets that can help this coaching staffs scheme win games then it’s ok to possibly over pay for a guy like this for 1 or 2 seasons.  Not to mention the possibility he can mentor and teach the next guy the system he played and thrived in for 4 years or more.

[Joe W. Namath]

1 hour ago, Hal N of Provo said:

How dare you! 

JD would not trade for an expensive vet!  He will fix LB through the draft.  
 

Thank you Joe Douglas!  Thank you! 

He would only have 2 years left on his deal.  So there is no long term commitment which makes it easier to stomach.

Listen, Im not saying bring him in.  But if Ulbrich is banging the table for him, then I am good with it.  

[GreenReaper]

Jones is a ball hawking LB...as in five pick6s in six years.  All five of them when Ulbrich was coaching him.  All eleven INTs under Ulbrich too.  His last season with Ulbrich he had 4.5 sacks and 10 QB hits.  He's 27 y.o., can make plays...and a former Pro Bowler (under Ulbrich).

A reconciliation sounds like a good idea to me...for the both of them.

[Gastineau Lives]

1 hour ago, Hal N of Provo said:

How dare you! 

JD would not trade for an expensive vet!  He will fix LB through the draft.  
 

Thank you Joe Douglas!  Thank you! 

You really do type some stupid sh*t

[JustInFudge]

SEE THE JETS ARE TRADING FOR DEBO!!!!!!!!!!

[Dcat]

15 hours ago, Lupz27 said:

https://heavy.com/sports/new-york-jets/jets-bowler-running-could/amp/
 

On Thursday, May 5, uStadium tweeted out that Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones “is a name to watch this summer” for a potential trade.

According to uStadium there are some people in the league that believe he “could be had” for a late-round draft choice or perhaps he could even get released.

The 27-year-old originally came into the league as the No. 52 overall pick in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.

After working through his rookie contract the former LSU product re-signed withthe Falcons on a juicy four-year deal worth over $57 million.

Jones still has two years remaining on that contract for $38 million and that piece of it will have to be figured out for any trade to be consummated.

Something to watch as Kevin Knight of The Falcoholic put it on Twitter, Jones could be designated as a “post-June 1 trade” which would allow Atlanta to spread the dead cap money over multiple years to make it more palatable.

Some Connective Tissue

 

Iowa State Insider: Breece Hall can be a future All-Pro with JetsBoy Green was joined by Iowa State Football Insider Jared Stansbury (Managing Editor Cyclone Fanatic) to learn more about Breece Hall: – What makes him so special? – How good can he be in the NFL? – He can score from ANYWHERE on the field! Make sure you like the video & smash that subscribe…2022-05-05T11:00:25Z

The Jets would make plenty of sense as a landing spot on multiple fronts.

They have an opening in the starting linebacking corps that Jones could slide into. Also, there is some real connective tissue between the Falcons star and a prominent member of the Gang Green coaching staff.

Prior to Jeff Ulbrich assuming the duties as the defensive coordinator under head coach Robert Saleh he spent six years with the Dirty Birds.

During that time, Ulbrich was the linebacker’s coach and was with Jones from the moment he was drafted through the first five years of his career before he joined the Jets.

He was part of the team that scouted, identified, and then drafted Jones in the second round. Ulbrich was also a part of the development team that took him to the next level in the pros:

8.5 sacks

652 total tackles

44 pass deflections

Five touchdowns

11 interceptions

Jones is an athletic piece of clay that has a body that was chiseled out of stone. He is coming off a tough year and it is no coincidence that was the first season he wasn’t under Ulbrich’s leadership.

Perhaps reconnecting with the old coach that got him to the Pro Bowl back in 2017 is exactly what his career needs to get back on track.

No one knows him better than Ulbrich, the Jets have a clear need, and the price to acquire him would be marginal.

This is one of those potential deals that makes too much sense not to happen at some point this offseason.

 

@Maxman  It used to be that the original formatting of any article appeared when we posted it.  The same for a cut and paste from our mock draft google sheet..  the original format would show.

Not any more.  You can't tell typed texts from posted text from articles.  What happened?  It is a step backwards for posting.  i.e. here are the Jets real draft picks from a google sheet:

Ahmad GardnerCBCincinnati

Garrett WilsonWROhio State

Jermaine JohnsonEDGEFlorida State

Breece HallRBIowa State

Jeremy RuckertTEOhio State

Max MitchellOTLouisiana

Michael ClemonsEDGETexas A&M

[GreenFish]

16 hours ago, Doggin94it said:

There's no such thing as a "post June 1 trade" 

Technically there is. A team can designate a trade as post June similar to cuts. The OTC screen shot you pasted even has it. Go to the drop down in the top right.

[Doggin94it]

35 minutes ago, GreenFish said:

Technically there is. A team can designate a trade as post June similar to cuts. The OTC screen shot you pasted even has it. Go to the drop down in the top right.

No. The designation is only for cuts. Trades impact the cap based on whether they're pre- or post- June 1, but if a player is traded before June 1, he can't be "designated" as a "post-June 1 trade". The timing is determinative

[GreenFish]

48 minutes ago, Doggin94it said:

No. The designation is only for cuts. Trades impact the cap based on whether they're pre- or post- June 1, but if a player is traded before June 1, he can't be "designated" as a "post-June 1 trade". The timing is determinative

Got it. You’re right.

[David Harris]

18 hours ago, Doggin94it said:

Also, the cap hit for Jones wouldn't be 38M for an acquiring team. That includes his prorated signing bonus and already paid roster bonus, which wouldn't transfer to an acquiring team. The cap hits would be ~10m in 22 and ~13M in 23.

Whoever wrote this doesn't understand the way the cap works. Like, not even a little bit

Still expect him to clear waivers, right? And sign as a FA.

[Maxman]

10 hours ago, Dcat said:

@Maxman  It used to be that the original formatting of any article appeared when we posted it.  The same for a cut and paste from our mock draft google sheet..  the original format would show.

Not any more.  You can't tell typed texts from posted text from articles.  What happened?  It is a step backwards for posting.  i.e. here are the Jets real draft picks from a google sheet:

Ahmad GardnerCBCincinnati

Garrett WilsonWROhio State

Jermaine JohnsonEDGEFlorida State

Breece HallRBIowa State

Jeremy RuckertTEOhio State

Max MitchellOTLouisiana

Michael ClemonsEDGETexas A&M

When you post something you have an option, it is on the bottom after you paste. You can post text, or rich text. You will want to post it with all the formatting.

 

[Doggin94it]

On 5/6/2022 at 5:24 PM, David Harris said:

Still expect him to clear waivers, right? And sign as a FA.

Most likely. Nobody is handing out 10m contracts at this stage of the offseason

[YankeeJet22]

On 5/6/2022 at 12:04 AM, GreenReaper said:

Jones is a ball hawking LB...as in five pick6s in six years.  All five of them when Ulbrich was coaching him.  All eleven INTs under Ulbrich too.  His last season with Ulbrich he had 4.5 sacks and 10 QB hits.  He's 27 y.o., can make plays...and a former Pro Bowler (under Ulbrich).

A reconciliation sounds like a good idea to me...for the both of them.

I like him as a fit as well, but JD and the coaches haven't been in any hurry to add LBers. They've had opportunities to do so both in FA and the draft, but ignored it thus far. 

They may just feel like the Sherwood, Hamsa, and Williams trio are going to be just fine.

[derp]

26 minutes ago, YankeeJet22 said:

I like him as a fit as well, but JD and the coaches haven't been in any hurry to add LBers. They've had opportunities to do so both in FA and the draft, but ignored it thus far. 

They may just feel like the Sherwood, Hamsa, and Williams trio are going to be just fine.

They really only play a duo too, right? In nickel most of the time. We all think about the traditional third linebacker a lot but I can’t imagine that guy is on the field a bunch, even the second one probably comes off a good bit. I’m sure that’s part of it.

Wonder if they try to lock Williams up a few more years at a reasonable salary, only signed this year.

[YankeeJet22]

2 hours ago, derp said:

They really only play a duo too, right? In nickel most of the time. We all think about the traditional third linebacker a lot but I can’t imagine that guy is on the field a bunch, even the second one probably comes off a good bit. I’m sure that’s part of it.

Wonder if they try to lock Williams up a few more years at a reasonable salary, only signed this year.

So true. I don't have the actual stats but i bet the Defense had three  LBers no more than 25% of the snaps. 

[GreenFish]

Been doing a lot or digging and watching of Deion Jones. He is still fast as hell. His down year last year was likely scheme related (switch to 3-4 base or 3-3-5 if we’re talking about playing nickel). Reminds me of when we made the switch and Vilma suffered as a result. Jones is a Vilma type of player who needs to be allowed to run and not worry too much about shedding blocks.

However, even before last year, Falcons fans thought he was a good LB but no longer the all-pro guy he was earlier in his career.

But he is still plenty fast. I think for the right price, this would be a HR for us. He’ll likely return to being a quality LB in our scheme which would bring us closer to having a playoff caliber roster. We’d just be missing a rangy FS, run stuffing DT and swing tackle (assuming Mitchell is not ready for that role).

[derp]

38 minutes ago, YankeeJet22 said:

So true. I don't have the actual stats but i bet the Defense had three  LBers no more than 25% of the snaps. 

I couldn’t find ratios and I’m sure it’s skewed by goal line and stuff but a total of 2793 linebacker snaps on 1188 snaps overall.

Significant ones were Mosley at 1096 and Williams at 778, figure less than 1000 linebacker snaps not between those guys.

Somewhat surprisingly Del’Shawn Phillips next with 246. Davis played 209, Nasirildeen 204, Sherwood 139 and he got hurt week 7. Nobody else over 100.

Nasirildeen’s were frontloaded but he played 20 a game when he was playing, that’s probably what they want from the third LB. I think they like Sherwood although his snaps are skewed because he played a lot the game Mosley was out.

Phillips’ snap count was the most interesting. Looks like he’s a RFA after this year too. Javin White is a RFA after this year as well. Always think it’s interesting to follow what they do with the guys who they have more team control with.

[MykePM]

Keep an eye on the Deion Jones situation this week.  Reports are that the Falcons will be either trading him or releasing him after June 1st, and would ideally like to trade him to get more money off their books.  It’s possible that teams will just wait ATL out, expecting Jones to be released.  However, it’s been speculated that the Saints are lying in wait, so the Falcons may be willing to work out a good deal with another team to prevent him from signing with a division rival.

Interestingly, it’s was announced last week that Jones would be held out of the rest of OTAs after having a minor procedure to clean up one of his shoulders.  It may just be a coincidence, but the thought crossed my mind that it could have  been an excuse to prevent him from getting injured and spoiling a trade that’s already in place to be announced on June 1st.

I guess we’ll find out later this week

[Jethead]

We certainly have firsthand knowledge of Jones from Ulbricht’s time in Atlanta so which ever way we go I support an informed decision. IMO, OT is a higher priority.

[GreenFish]

Im on record, unofficially since I did not make a video about it, as wanting Deion Jones.

He can still play and fills a void in our defense. 

[MykePM]

Here are the relevant articles with the latest news...

Schultz: Why Deion Jones’ exit from the Falcons is warranted and likely imminent

By Jeff Schultz

May 23, 2022

There’s a misconception that when the Falcons fizzled in the seasons after their 2016 run to the Super Bowl, the primary reason was the departure of then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. That’s not completely accurate.

Obviously, that team reached the title game because of Shanahan’s offense, averaging a league-high 33.8 points per game. But within the organization, expectations of future success weren’t centered on the offense. The team’s hopes were pinned on a young defensive core that included edge rusher Vic Beasley, linebackers Deion Jones and De’Vondre Campbell and cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Jalen Collins. Remember, then-head coach Dan Quinn came from Seattle, and his vision for the Falcons’ future was more closely aligned with the Seahawks’ blueprint (tough defense, power running game) than it was a pyrotechnic offense.

Why bring this up now, in this week’s edition of Between The Lines? Because Atlanta’s pain of that post-2016 fall is about to come full circle.

Some NFL teams have held off cutting or trading players until June to minimize the 2022 salary-cap hit by pushing dead money to 2023. Count Jones’ almost-certain exit from Atlanta among the casualties. He is paid far too much money for far too little production and clearly isn’t part of the team’s long-term rebuilding plan.

Jones’ contract, which was extended in 2019 and amended in 2021, has a team-high salary-cap hit of $20.05 million in 2022. Cutting Jones before June 1 would create a $24.32 dead-money hit. That drops slightly to $18.98 million with a post-June 1 cut, still a massive hit but a savings of $1.07 million, with the advantage of him being off the books for 2023.

Trading Jones after June 1 would be the team’s preference. It would transfer most financial guarantees to Jones’ next team, and the dead-money hit to the Falcons would be only $5.34 million. But getting another team to take Jones’ guaranteed salary of $13.64 million (base and bonuses) won’t be easy — even for a low draft pick.

The Browns are having a similar problem trying to trade quarterback Baker Mayfield. The stance of most NFL teams in these situations is, “We know you’re stuck, so we’ll just wait until you cut the guy.”

If Jones had a leadership presence for younger players, the team could justify keeping him in 2022. But he has been anything but that. Also, please note what the Falcons have done this offseason: They drafted outside linebacker/edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie and inside linebacker Troy Andersen in the second round, and outside linebacker/edge DeAngelo Malone in the third. They signed three unrestricted free-agent linebackers — Rashaan Evans (who played for defensive coordinator Dean Pees in Tennessee), Nick Kwiatkoski (who was drafted in Chicago by current Falcons executive Ryan Pace) and Lorenzo Carter (former Georgia standout). The roster also includes returnees Adetokunbo Ogundeji and Mykal Walker.

---------------------------

Deion Jones out for the rest of the Falcons offseason

Posted by Josh Alper on May 26, 2022, 11:38 AM EDT

Linebacker Deion Jones‘ future in Atlanta has been fodder for speculation recently and he won’t be working with the Falcons for the rest of the offseason.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith told reporters on Thursday that Jones will be out for the entire offseason program because he is rehabbing after having his shoulder cleaned up this offseason. Smith didn’t elaborate on Jones’ condition during the press conference.

The announcement comes days after Jeff Schultz of TheAthletic.com reported Jones is almost certain to leave the team after June 1. Per the report, the Falcons would like to trade him as it would clear over $14.7 million of his $20 million-plus cap hit.

Releasing him would bring far less cap relief, but would still allow the Falcons to swallow the hit now and move on with a cleaner cap in the future. It may also be the likelier route given the shoulder issue.

Jones signed a four-year extension with the team in 2019 and started 16 games for the team last year. He had 137 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in those appearances.

-------------------------------

https://theathletic.com/3329188/2022/05/23/falcons-deion-jones-exit-schultz/

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/05/26/deion-jones-out-for-the-rest-of-the-falcons-offseason/

[32EBoozer]

On 5/6/2022 at 12:04 AM, GreenReaper said:

Jones is a ball hawking LB...as in five pick6s in six years.  All five of them when Ulbrich was coaching him.  All eleven INTs under Ulbrich too.  His last season with Ulbrich he had 4.5 sacks and 10 QB hits. 

Eerily familiar numbers to this ball hawking LB

[varjet]

I don’t think there is any question that you pay Jones for 2023.  The question is whether he is worth paying in 2022, given the schedule and young roster.  

I would find a way to pay him.