Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Steelers have plenty of talent at wide receiver, but Chase Claypool would love to add Julio Jones to the mix in Pittsburgh.
Wide receiver isn’t what anyone in Pittsburgh would call a position of need, but that isn’t stopping Steelers stars from publicly expressing their desire to see the team make a trade for Julio Jones. Chase Claypool is more than willing to share targets with the former Pro Bowl wideout.
Claypool recently told TMZ Sports that he’d “love” to see Jones join him in Pittsburgh. Claypool expressed his belief that the Steelers’ receiver group is currently “stacked” but didn’t see that as an impediment to a deal that would add Jones to the mix. A starting receiver trio of Jones, Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster could cause a ton of trouble for opposing secondaries looking to stop the Steelers in 2021.
Chase Claypool lobbies for Julio Jones
Claypool’s public comments on Jones are unlikely to influence decision-makers inside Pittsburgh’s front office. The Steelers have already parted with a number of valuable veterans this offseason to squeeze under this year’s smaller-than-expected NFL salary cap. Fitting Jones’ eight-digit salary would require serious cap calisthenics in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers also aren’t in a position to meet the Falcons’ asking price for their talented wide receiver. Pittsburgh needs to horde as much draft capital as possible to acquire a successor for Ben Roethlisberger in a future draft. Giving up any sort of value draft compensation in a deal for Jones might make it impossible for Pittsburgh to rebuild quickly after Big Ben’s eventual departure.
Add it all up and the odds are stacked against Jones joining Claypool in Pittsburgh anytime soon. It’s a fun idea for Steelers fans to dream about in the offseason, but there are too many practical obstacles standing in the way of those dreams coming to fruition.