News Article: Julio miffed...

Julio is high reward but also very high risk. Say what you want but he is injury prone. The Falcons are not going to give him some huge new contract with guaranteed money or end loaded. Julio knows he is injury prone and his years and value are not increasing each year so he is trying to make this his last big deal to get all he can.

Is there some middle ground? Possibly. But if I was the Falcons it would be heavily performance based and and allow for them to have some protection from injury risks. Julio wont go for that and he knows he only needs one team to throw money at him if the Falcons don't cooperate. This is likely not going to end soon or well unless Julio changes his mindset.

The real losers here are both the Falcons and Ridley. A Falcons team with Julio and Ridley on the field would be scary. Both of them would benefit from having the other opposite them. If Julio is out and Ridley in, Ridley will have bigger numbers in year one but the Falcons want be a better team and Falcons with only Ridley is not as good as Falcons with only Julio.

I usually attend about 3 Falcons games a year and started doing so when Julio was drafted by the Falcons. Saying that I hope he protects himself to the fullest. If he has a serious injury this year concussions or something else career ending no one is going to cry for him. Julio plays with reckless abandon and is not afraid to go over the middle or sacrifice his body and lay out for a catch in traffic. If he can’t play due to injury the Falcons will cut him and most fans won't bat an eye.

Here is a cautionary tale for you. Remember Sterling Sharpe? He had just signed a contract that was going to make him the top paid wide receiver from 1995-2000. He got a neck injury and was promptly cut before the 1995 season was even played. Keep in mind he sustained this injury doing something Julio does well blocking. This is an apple to apples comparison for Julio to be careful. The NFL is a war zone littered with the walking dead and injured. Pick any other position and you will find players who faced the exact same thing or worse than Sterling. I am not talking about the guys making 15 million a year, they will be fine. It’s the ones making the league minimum that are hit the hardest.

It will take players like Julio taking a stand asking for guaranteed money that will make it better for the 100's of players who have no voice. I think he will cave and come back without a contract. I would rather he go the Barry Sanders route and walk away with all his mental and physical capacities/abilities than be another tragic example of what he should have done. If he were in any other occupation I would not feel this way, and in fact did not until all the research about CTE was published. Knowing the dangers and certainty he will be cut if he is injured I say get your money Julio!!!!

Some people feel they are worth a whole more than they are. Not saying that is the issue with Julio. But just think what kind of world we would live in if everyone was paid what they think they are worth.

BAMAVILLE said:

Hoping the young man gets paid what he feels he's worth

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Bamabuzzard said:

This is like people who say "If you don't like where you live then move!". It's simply not as easy as that. We all wish it was, trust me.

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For sure. Not saying I would just up and quit but I would definitely start looking elsewhere if a company had that much of a close minded policy IRT compensation reviews. Of course, just like the situation with the Falcons, it depends on the type of employee / player being discussed. If Julio was your average joe the Falcons wouldn't even entertain this but because he's arguably their best player and the top WR in football they almost have to address it or consider his request..

There was an Atlanta Falcons beat reporter on this morning that said he thought that maybe Julio doesn’t want to play much longer and will not want to extend his current contract. He is only guessing right now, but he thinks Julio has “a little bit of Calvin Johnson in him”. This makes more sense to me than Julio being a selfish prima donna type. The reporter also stated that the Falcons were a little blind-sided by this. This is very unlike Julio, but the reporter believes Julio just wants more money now and then he will hang it up in 2 years. Julio knows he is pretty injury prone and doesn’t want to risk getting hurt this year and then trying to renegotiate a contract next year.

Julio has a lot of outside interests including some construction mixed use buildings in Buford. And no I do not know the architects or the work that is going to be done. I could probably find out.

CrimsonForce said:

For sure. Not saying I would just up and quit but I would definitely start looking elsewhere if a company had that much of a close minded policy IRT compensation reviews. Of course, just like the situation with the Falcons, it depends on the type of employee / player being discussed. If Julio was your average joe the Falcons wouldn't even entertain this but because he's arguably their best player and the top WR in football they almost have to address it or consider his request..

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I don't think that they are close minded. I think that they simply cannot do it. I heard someone yesterday explaining why, and it had to do with the cap and a few other players, but it made sense. I can't remember the details because I am in the process of passing a kidney stone and I was watching while suffering.

Bamabuzzard said:

Me either. I think they are in a position of having to think about the entire team and Julio is coming from a position of only thinking about himself.

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That's the thing that bothers me about this. Julio is a smart guy. Someone needs to just sit down with him and show him the math. If Julio hasn't asked that of his agent yet, that is on him. But the math is pretty clear - Atlanta simply cannot take care of Julio until next year.

B1GTide said:

That's the thing that bothers me about this. Julio is a smart guy. Someone needs to just sit down with him and show him the math. If Julio hasn't asked that of his agent yet, that is on him. But the math is pretty clear - Atlanta simply cannot take care of Julio until next year.

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I am hearing this can all go away if they guarantee his money on his existing contract.

Mystical said:

I am hearing this can all go away if they guarantee his money on his existing contract.

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When I first looked at Julio's contract I thought he had guaranteed salary this year and the next 2 years. If that's not the case then this makes more sense from Julio's perspective. That would mean he's basically playing on a 1 year contract for this year and the next 2 years are team options which means they could just cut him if he gets hurt or for any reason..

CrimsonForce said:

When I first looked at Julio's contract I thought he had guaranteed salary this year and the next 2 years. If that's not the case then this makes more sense from Julio's perspective. That would mean he's basically playing on a 1 year contract for this year and the next 2 years are team options which means they could just cut him if he gets hurt or for any reason..

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None of the money is guaranteed through the remainder of his contract. I have not heard what Julio is asking for anywhere. If he is just asking for guarantees, it is a no brainer and the Falcons would do it in a second. It costs them nothing more against the cap assuming Julio plays well enough not to have to be replaced.

B1GTide said:

I don't think that they are close minded. I think that they simply cannot do it. I heard someone yesterday explaining why, and it had to do with the cap and a few other players, but it made sense.

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Yeah I read something similar. The Falcons are readay and willing to negotiate after the season starts, but doing anything now will completely screw up their cap situation.

CBS Sports is reporting that Julio will report today, and that a contract agreement has been worked out.

Also reported by Mike Florio this morning. He will not miss time.

rtr

multiple outlets in Atlanta also reporting it.

Sounds like they adjusted his salary for this year somewhat and then will negotiate the rest after the season.