3 Dark Horse Julio Jones Trade Destinations

Talk of a possible Julio Jones trade has stirred the league into a frenzy recently. And there's a few destinations that are emerging as early favorites to land the Atlanta Falcons star this offseason.

Still, a Jones deal won't come cheap, with the All-Pro wideout due $15.3 million in 2021 and most teams' cap space wiped out after the offseason.

Here's three teams who could sneak their way into a Jones deal this summer.

Julio Jones Trade Destinations

3. Detroit Lions

The New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens seem like the frontrunners for a Jones trade. But cap space could be an issue for the latter two squads to pull it off. The Detroit Lions, however, have the space to make a deal work. This has been an offseason of change in Detroit with a new regime in place and Matthew Stafford being traded away. But new starter Jared Goff is in town and likely to stick around until 2022 given his contract. He is a former Pro Bowler, yet Detroit lacks the current firepower to judge his long-term potential properly. A Jones deal would give Goff the No. 1 wideout he doesn't clearly have right now. Free-agent signings Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman don't seem up to the task, and returning wideout Quintez Cephus is still young. Detroit could use some of its cap space to acquire Jones as a leading piece of their evolving offense.

2. Cleveland Browns

Jones made it clear on national TV recently that he wants to win. The 32-year-old could be part of another Super Bowl run if he was sent to the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are coming off an impressive 2020 campaign and spent the offseason bolstering their defense for a title run. Cleveland's WR corps is headlined by Odell Beckham Jr., but he's coming off of an ACL tear and his pairing with quarterback Baker Mayfield is still questionable. Jones would give Mayfield a dependable, big-bodied WR1 who can help him continue his rise to one the best QBs in the league. Jones played in just nine games last year, but he hadn't played fewer than 14 contests in the six prior seasons before that. Adding the future of Hall of Famer for possibly a second- or third-round pick is easily worth the price as Cleveland hopes to take the next step in 2021.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Don't sleep on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Jones sweepstakes. KC made some serious splashes this offseason, from signing top guard Joe Thuney to trading for top tackle Orlando Brown Jr. But one weak spot still remaining is wide receiver talent behind Tyreek Hill after Sammy Watkins walked in free agency. Jones and Hill would complement each other perfectly, giving Patrick Mahomes a serious 1-2 punch at receiver along with tight end Travis Kelce. A Hill-Jones-Kelce trio'd give the Chiefs an elite three-headed monster and the firepower to rival any offensive attack in the league. It'd require some contract maneuvering, but it may not cost much in terms of draft capital. And having the weapons to go toe-to-toe with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is well worth it regardless.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.