The Atlanta Falcons and wide receiver Julio Jones are closing in on an extension that would pay him $20 million per year on a four- or five-year deal, Bleacher Report reported Friday.
According to the report, Jones is expected to get around $50 million-$60 million in new guarantees, though the deal is not done yet.
The league’s highest-paid wideout, recent Cleveland Browns addition Odell Beckham Jr., averages $18 million annually with an additional $1 million per season available via incentives. He got $41 million fully guaranteed at signing and $65 million in injury guarantees.
Jones, 30, has two years and $21 million remaining on a five-year extension he signed in August 2015. He stayed away from the Falcons throughout the 2018 offseason while seeking further contract guarantees. The team responded by turning $4.4 million of his future salary into a signing bonus while reportedly promising to redo the deal after the 2018 season, a rare concession for a player with multiple years remaining on his deal.
Jones had 113 receptions for an NFL-high 1,677 yards and eight touchdowns in 2018, with all three figures marking his best since 2015. He earned his fifth straight Pro Bowl nod and played in all 16 games for the second consecutive season and the third time in four years.
