With Antonio Brown suffering an obvious and apocalyptic public breakdown in Oakland, it’s kind of nice to see one of the best wide receivers in the league just relax, go about his business of being an All-Universe pass-catcher and get paid. That happened with Julio Jones Saturday morning as we all took a break from our A.B. insanity to report that Jones and the Atlanta Falcons had reached an agreement on a three-year, $66 million contract extension.
Jones, once the deal is finalized, will be the highest paid wideout in the NFL, making $22 million a season.
Falcons, WR Julio Jones finalizing three-year extension worth roughly $66M, making him the league's highest-paid WR. (via @TomPelissero + @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/1TIQQMMB9g
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2019
The Falcons wide receiver jumps the New Orleans Saints Michael Thomas, who signed his own five-year, $100 million contract extension this offseason. Last season Jones led the league with 1,677 receiving yards and yards per game with 104.8. He caught 113 passes and eight touchdowns.
Not counting the playoffs, he’s two catches away from 700 in his career. He’s led the NFL in catches once in 2015 (136), twice in yardage (1,871 in 2015 and last season) and three times in yards per game (116.9 in 2015, 100.6 in 2016 and last year).
Atlanta owner Arthur Blank promised Jones he’d get the deal done and he did. The receiver trusted him, showed up to camp and it’s all worked out. Other teams and players should take note.
Tyreek Hill gets three-year extension
Tyreek HIll hasn’t had a silent offseason, but he got through it without punishment or legal trouble. Now he’s cashing in. Hill and the Kansas City Chiefs agreed on a three-year, $54 million contract with $35.5 million in guaranteed cash. It also comes with a $5.8 million signing bonus.
Tyreek Hill's deal is 3 years and $54 million with a $5.8 million signing bonus and $35.2 million in guarantees, a source tells me. There are protections on both sides. Huge deal, puts him among the highest paid receivers in the game.
— Sam Mellinger (@mellinger) September 6, 2019
“We’re pleased we were able to reach an agreement with Tyreek to keep him in a Chiefs uniform for the foreseeable future,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said in a statement. “He understands our expectations of him as a member of this team and community. This extension is contingent upon the conditions Tyreek agreed to adhere to upon his return to the team in July. Tyreek is an elite player in this league and has played a major role in our team’s success, and we’re pleased that he’ll continue to make an impact for us.”
Hill is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All Pro. Last year he caught 87 passes for 1,479 yards and 12 touchdowns. He added a touchdown on the ground and a punt return touchdown.
Andy Reid on the Tyreek Hill signing: " I hope he can still run fast with all that money in his pocket."
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) September 6, 2019
