Colts: 3 reasons Indy shouldn’t trade for Julio Jones

Though some Indianapolis Colts fans would like to see the team make a splash for a superstar receiver, the offense is just fine as presently constructed.

After all, if Carson Wentz rediscovers his moxie under center, it really won’t matter who he’s throwing to. That’s obviously a huge hypothetical, but the former No. 2 overall pick literally has everything in place to revive his career after a forgettable final season with the Eagles.

Why do we feel the need to make this point? Well, for one, the Colts have been rumored as a potential destination for Julio Jones, who seemingly doesn’t have a future with the Falcons amid their ongoing efforts to find a willing trade partner.

The idea of Jones spending his remaining prime years in Indianapolis is mouthwatering, but general manager Chris Ballard apparently laughed at the idea of making such a trade.

Taking that into account, we might as well highlight a few reasons why the Colts shouldn’t orchestrate a trade for the seven-time Pro Bowler, right?

Here are three reasons why the Colts shouldn’t trade for Julio Jones.

3. Injury History and Age

Let’s start by declaring that Jones is showing no signs of slowing down. The former No. 6 overall pick turned 32 this offseason, and is just one season removed from recording 99 receptions for 1,394 yards and six touchdowns, the latter two of which ranked sixth and second in the NFL, respectively.

The season before that, Jones appeared in all 16 games and tallied 113 receptions (!) for 1,677 yards, which led the league, and eight touchdowns, which was two shy of his career high.

However, we’re a little turned off that Jones is almost always battling an injury. Whether it be a hamstring, foot or ankle issue, it feels like the Falcons star hasn’t had a clean bill of health in years. And you have to think (given his age) that his luck in the injury department will only worsen as he gets later into his career.

Julio Jones’ injury history should be a red flag for the Colts.

While you can argue that Jones’ durability concerns have been overblown — he played in at least 14 games in every season from 2014 to 2019 — we can’t help but express our uneasiness over the fact he was limited to just nine games last year due to a hamstring injury.

We totally understand the intrigue behind trading for Jones. After all, a superstar wideout is arguably the one piece Indianapolis is missing on offense. However, Ballard has never been a general manager that trades for a player who’s on the proverbial back nine of his career.

Throw Jones’ injury history into the mix, and you’ll realize a trade isn’t happening.