Wide receiver Julio Jones will attend the Atlanta Falcons' training camp after all as the two sides agreed to a revised contract late Wednesday.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network Insider, the Falcons have agreed to a revised deal that will adjust Jones' salary for the 2018 season, per his source. Jones, for his part, has agreed to attend the start of the Falcons' training camp on Thursday at Flowery Branch, Georgia.
"We have had continued dialogue all offseason with Julio and his representation," general manager Thomas Dimitroff says in a statement. "We have come to an agreement with Julio, and we will re-address everything in 2019. I appreciate everyone's hard work and communication on this."
Dimitroff explained that Jones' adjustments will not impede the Falcons from negotiating extensions with other members of the squad. The general manager added that the Falcons will continue to work on other contracts moving forward.
Hours before Jones and the Falcons reached the agreement, the team handed both Dimitroff and coach Dan Quinn three-year contract extensions. The team did not release details of its agreement with Jones.
Jones Has 3 Years Remaining From His Deal
Jones asked to rework his contract despite having three years remaining in the five-year extension worth $71.25 million that he signed in 2015. Jones asked for a new deal after he fell to ninth in terms of annual average salary in his position with a yearly average salary of $14.25 million.
In terms of average annual salary, Jones trails Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers ($17 million), Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccanneers ($16.5 million), DeAndre Hopkins of the Houston Texans ($16.2 million), Brandin Cooks of the Los Angeles Rams ($16.2 million), Sammy Watkins of the Kansas City Chiefs ($16 million), Jarvis Landry of the Cleveland Browns ($15.1 million), A.J. Green of the Cincinnati Bengals ($15 million) and Davante Adams of the Green Bay Packers ($14.5 million).
According to Rapoport, Jones was willing to skip the entire training camp after the Falcons said they will rework his contract until after the 2018 season. The 29-year-old Jones was set to earn a $10.5 million base salary in 2018. Recently, the Falcons signed quarterback Matt Ryan to a five-year deal worth $150 million, with guaranteed money of $100 million.
Jones One Of NFL's Best Pass Catchers
In 2017, Jones solidified his status as one of the best pass-catchers in the league. Last season, he caught 88 passes for 1,444 yards and three touchdowns.
The Falcons also boosted their receiving corps after taking wideout Calvin Ridley as the 26th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. In his three years at Alabama, Ridley caught 224 passes for 2,781 yards and 19 scores.
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