OK, fine. FINE. We get it. Julio Jones is not coming to the Indianapolis Colts, no matter how many articles we write (or anyone else writes) about how he’s a perfect fit.
Chris Ballard didn’t have to be so mean about it, though.
Claiming Jones would slot in well in Carson Wentz’s Colts offense is like claiming beer is a “solid fit” for a drink after dinner, but as the chatter about his availability gets louder, we can’t help but be curious about what it would take to get a deal done.
Former Colts punter and broadcasting legend (at a very young age) Pat McAfee clearly had the same itch. He did something we couldn’t do about it, though, and texted the team’s GM to see what was going on.
Spoiler alert: nothing. He got laughed out of the virtual room.
Whatever happened to common courtesy?
Pat McAfee says #Colts GM Chris Ballard sent a laughing reaction text in response to McAfee asking if they would go after Julio Jones. Yeah, it wasn’t ever going to happen. https://t.co/J5PBnQ2uB8
— Locked On Colts Podcast (@LockedOnColts) May 20, 2021
Colts punter Pat McAfee texted Chris Ballard about Julio Jones and got laughed at.
Hey, say what you will about McAfee, but he’s using his direct channel to the GM’s office for all the right reasons — and this isn’t the first time he’s inquired.
McAfee has been steadfastly in favor of adding Jones for weeks now, ever since rumblings began for real around the NFL Draft. Do we know why the Falcons seem so content to trade their centerpiece after both extending him and adding years to Matt Ryan’s contract to make sure they can “win now”? Absolutely not. Don’t get it.
That’s the way it is, though, and someone’s going to take advantage. Could be the Patriots! So it remains a little frustrating that the GM is sending cry-laugh emojis like a Bleacher Report LeBron tweet every time the subject gets broached, even by friends of the team.
#Colts GM Chris Ballard has made aggressive trades for players, but not ones who are above 30-years-old. If anything, it’s players who are entering their prime years:
— Locked On Colts Podcast (@LockedOnColts) May 20, 2021
DeForest Buckner = 26
Carson Wentz = 28
It’s time to let go of the Julio Jones possibility. Not happening.
Yes, Ballard has high-profile extensions to work on for Darius Leonard and Quenton Nelson. Yes, those will probably reset the market. Yes, he had to sign Eric Fisher as a stopgap.
The salary cap, though, has seemed faker than ever in recent months. The New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs enter every offseason with between one and two dollars and always end up adding impact players. The Patriots will probably end up trading for Jones, converting his entire salary into a roster bonus that he receives on his fourth training camp out route, and turning the last year of his contract into an investment in an offshore clamming firm.
It wouldn’t be easy to fit Jones in Indianapolis, but there has to be a way.
Nope. Laughed at.
Colts’ nickname for Dayo Odeyingbo proves they’re high on his potential
The Indianapolis Colts' scouting department's nickname for Dayo Odeyingbo proves the organization is high on his potential.