WR Jones tells Falcons he’s skipping minicamp

Wide receiver Julio Jones has told the Atlanta Falcons he won’t attend this week’s mandatory minicamp, the team announced Monday.

“We have been in contact with Julio and his representation,” general manager Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement. “We will not discuss those conversations publicly except to say we feel they have been productive and constructive. We understand the concerns and thoughts from their perspective. Although not ideal, Julio informed us today he would not be attending mini-camp.

“We have much respect for him and what he means to our team, our city and our fans.”

According to an ESPN report, Jones’ decision to skip minicamp stems from an unsatisfactory response to a contract proposal in recent weeks.

Jones has missed the Falcons’ offseason conditioning program and organized team activities — all of which is voluntary — while training on his own in Alabama. The minicamp, the team’s final practice before training camp starts in late July, is the only mandatory portion of the offseason, with players who don’t attend subject to fines.

NFL Network reported in May that Jones would like “some sort of correction or update” to his contract — which still has two years remaining — adding that the Falcons are “amenable” to working something out, in part because of how good of a player and teammate Jones is.

Jones refuted the report a few weeks later, telling TMZ, “It’s not even about [his contract].”

“Everyone wants a story right now,” Jones said. “There’s no story. There’s no bad blood with the team or anything like that. … I’m not going anywhere.”

Team owner Arthur Blank said at the league’s meetings in May that Jones is “going to be a Falcon forever,” adding that any discussions about a new contract are “between us and him.”

The 29-year-old’s annual average of $14.3 million currently ranks eighth among NFL wideouts, trailing four players (Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins, Jarvis Landry and Davante Adams) who have signed new extensions since late December. He is set to make $12.5 million and count $14.9 million against the cap in 2019, with both figures also ranking eighth among wideouts.

Antonio Brown is the league’s highest-paid wide receiver at $17 million per year.

Though yet to show up at the team’s facility in Flowery Branch, Ga., Jones appeared at Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton’s charity softball game earlier this month. The Panthers’ Twitter account sent out a photo of Jones and Newton posing together with a caption reading “Julio says hi,” tagging the Falcons’ Twitter account in the tweet, which was later deleted.

Jones, a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, has 585 receptions for 9,054 yards and 43 touchdowns during his seven NFL seasons.

His absence has opened up additional reps at offseason practices for rookie Calvin Ridley, who the Falcons took 26th overall in April’s draft out of Alabama, Jones’ alma mater.

–Field Level Media