Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Titans Mock Julio Trade Negotiations w/ Locked On Falcon's Aaron Freeman & Julio Raises the Ceiling

Episode Date: May 27, 2021

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You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, this Thursday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is presented by RockAuto.com. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com today and tell them Locked On sent you.

On this Thursday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast, we are going to continue Julio Watch Week 2021. And I'm going to start out today's show with a conversation about just how much better the Tennessee Titans could get if they pull off this move. I'm going to talk about how Julio Jones will affect the Tennessee Titans offense and what I think it will do to my record prediction for the Titans for the 2021 season. So excited to talk about just how much better I think the Titans could get if they go out and execute this acquisition. And then I am excited to jump into a fun conversation with a special guest. We are going to have Aaron Freeman from the Locked On Falcons podcast on the show to have

a little bit of a mock negotiation of a trade for Julio Jones. So I'm going to bounce some of the ideas for compensation that I have off him and see whether he thinks the Falcons would be interested in what I have to offer. So excited to bring you guys that conversation. And then we're going to finish up with just some general NFL news that will ultimately impact the Tennessee Titans. We have some updated information on the 2022 salary cap and what it could look like. We got some more updates on this year's roster rule changes, so I'll tell you about those as well.

And then the Tennessee Titans did add another player to the training camp roster. So we are going to discuss all of that on a Thursday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. Let's get it! Titans fans, we are going to get into a conversation about just how much I think Julio Jones could raise the ceiling on the Titans season. Now, before we do though, got to give you guys that daily reminder that I'm going to be putting out Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content here on the Locked On Titans podcast. There's not another Titans content creator that can say that.

So make sure that you subscribe or follow the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream. And for some additional content, follow me on Twitter at Tic Tac Titans and follow the show on Facebook at Locked on Titans pod. But we are going to dive into this conversation now. And taking a look at Julio Jones, we've talked about all of the different angles. But what we haven't talked about is exactly, tangibly speaking, how much better the Titans could be with Julio on the roster.

Now, I do want to mention this one more time before we get into this. We have to view this player through the the correct lens here okay so yes Julio Jones only had nine games played last year and was battling through injury yes he's an older player but we say all that the two years prior it's not like that was a long time ago 2019 and 2018 if combine those seasons, he went for over 3,000 yards, over 200 catches, 14 touchdowns. Guys, we are talking about a player that could potentially be the Titans' best wide receiver.

I'm as high on A.J. Brown as anybody in this universe, okay? A.J. Brown is a freaking stud. as anybody in this universe, okay? A.J. Brown is a freaking stud. But a healthy Julio Jones is still a better player than A.J. Brown. I believe that. And, I mean, that's just the case, quite frankly. And I think A.J. Brown knows that.

He told Julio, I played it on yesterday's show. You can carry the load, man. You can carry the load. I'll back you up. A.J. knows. That's one of the goats he's speaking with. So I think that the injury to Julio last year is just clouding too many people's judgment. So think about that. Add that player to the Titans wide receiver core. I think that if you add Julio, this year's receiver core with Julio, AJ, and Josh Reynolds is already better than AJ Brown, Corey Davis, and Adam Humphreys.

I think that's already given there. And I want to break it down by matchup here. Think about these matchups and how much having Julio Jones out there could benefit the Titans. Whether it be this player guarding Julio or shadowing AJ, it doesn't matter either way. If you have two top 10 receivers in the NFL out there, these matchups are going to become infinitely easier.

And if you notice, they're either some of the hardest matchups I have for the Titans this year or X-Factor games. At the Los Angeles Rams, week nine, Sunday night football. Jalen Ramsey. The Rams know Josh Reynolds. They've had him the whole time. I would be really nervous to have Jalen Ramsey against A.J. Brown

and then having the Rams as a collective unit knowing Josh Reynolds' strengths and weaknesses going against him. So the matchup gets infinitely easier, or at least more competitive for the Titans to have Julio Jones out there specifically. Another one, the whole Monday night football game in week six against the Buffalo Bills, Tredavious White. You have these top tier cornerbacks going against A.J. Brown by, you know, with just

Josh Reynolds on the other side and Cam Batson in the slot or Nick Westbrook-Akina. It's not going to go well. Even Golden Tate probably won't be able to save you enough. So that makes a big difference. Those are two of the four toughest games that the Titans play. And he can make the biggest impact in those games. You look at a Week 10 matchup at home against the New Orleans Saints with a guy like Marshawn Lattimore in their secondary.

Julio Jones has gone up against Marshawn Lattimore for his entire career. Lattimore's. So he knows him intimately. Lattimore takes Julio, opens up A.J. Brown. And that's an X-Factor game for me. The Titans could win or lose that game against the Saints. We don't know enough about what kind of team the Saints are going to be

or the Titans for that matter. So that's a big X-factor game at home in Week 10 coming off the toughest stretch of games of the season for the Titans. They really need to find a way to win that game because they'll probably have lost a few games prior to that. And then Week 17 against Miami, they have a guy like Xavier Howard takes one of A.J. Brown or Julio Jones. That's a major X-factor game for the Titans late in the season at home

against a team that could potentially be a playoff team. So for me, just multiple matchups in here, almost a quarter of the season, there are matchups specifically where I can point to that it will give the Titans a way better chance of winning. And my original season prediction was 10-7 for the Titans, and I have them losing in either the first or second round of the playoffs, depending on whether that 10-7 gives them a wildcard game on the road or a home game.

If, if, in fact, the Titans trade for Julio Jones, I think this bumps my season prediction up to 12-5 for the Titans. 12-5. And if I'm saying 12-5, that means that the Titans have the potential to be even better than that. But 12-5, I would suspect that the Titans will find a way to win two of those four games that I just mentioned. And it'll boost them at least to an 11-6 record. But I think 10-7 would become the floor for the Titans at that moment in time

where I see 10-7 as kind of a medium ground right now. So that's how I see the importance of the Julio Jones trade. You literally are taking the Titans from a 10-7 record to a 12-5 record and a chance to make the Super Bowl. Right now, I don't think the roster as constructed could make that kind of deep run. But if you want your vehicle to make a deep run, you have to check out rockauto.com. rockauto.com is a family business. They've been serving auto parts customers online for over 20 years.

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and do-it-yourselfers. One thing that I didn't know is you go to a chain store for auto parts, they have different price tiers in there where they're going to give you a more expensive price on the same part if you're a do-it-yourselfer as opposed to being a professional mechanic. So never have that happen to you. Go to rockauto.com right now. See all the parts available for your car or truck and make sure that you write locked on in the how did you hear about us box right underneath your shipping information so they know that I sent you. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need, rockauto.com. Titans fans, we are here for a little bit of an exercise that I am very excited for.

A little bit of a pseudo conversation slash mock negotiation with one of my favorite co-workers from the Locked On Podcast Network, and that's Aaron Freeman from the Locked On Falcons Podcast. We actually spoke earlier this offseason when Arthur Smith came to Atlanta, so getting to talk a little bit earlier than we expected, and that's kind of where I want to start. Before we kind of talk about what the trade could look like if one went down. I just wanted to get your general opinion, the feel in Atlanta right now on just the Julio Jones situation. Yeah, I mean, things were looking pretty good after the draft, after the selection of Kyle Pitts, and people were really excited about

the idea of what this offense could be with Arthur Smith coming in here. And, you know, I've been buying into the hype as well. And I tend to not be that guy, but just a lot of optimism for what this offense has the potential to be. And now sort of the bombshell of the Falcons wanting to shop Julio Jones. And it seemed like, okay, well, they'll see what offers are out there and probably no one's going to give them a trade offer. And then you find out that no, it's Julio Jones that actually wants out of Atlanta, which probably winds up leading to a parting of ways from a situation that seemed like it would be a lot more tenable. So optimism you know these last 48 72 hours uh since that sort of bombshell

dropped it at least for me has has gone out the window and now i'm i'm a little rudderless trying to figure out what's going on uh i have a general question of and and maybe you don't know because i'm asking you to play you know psychologist here i guess but like But that did kind of shock me that Julio was the one who asked why. You get a new head coach, you get a renewed system that's been successful. I guess I just don't understand. What is your read on why Julio would want out right now? I don't even know why. Yeah, I think from Julio's perspective, the last three years of losing have worn on him. You know, he's probably looking at the light at the end of the tunnel that's approaching with maybe two or three years left.

And while I think there is some optimism for the Falcons to go back and be a competitive team in these early years under Arthur Smith, I'm not sure that they're going to be the team that is going to win a Super Bowl in these next couple of years as they have to sort of rebuild their defense over these next couple of years to try to get that to a level. And I think Julio, with father time encroaching on him and maybe looking at a two to three year window, doesn't want to be stuck on a team that may be certainly capable of being a playoff team, but probably is not going to be one of the top teams in the league and one of the frontrunners to potentially win a Super Bowl. Yeah, just from my perspective, if they would have drafted Justin Fields or something like that, then I think it makes sense. Julio would be like, wait, you're taking a young QB, blah, blah, blah.

Yeah, but I don't know. I guess I was surprised to hear that. But if Julio Jones is traded, obviously it's all been covered nationally. I'm sure your show, my show, the cap savings that the Falcons would be looking to get to make that move that even incentivizes them to do it. But if Julio Jones is traded, before we kind of talk about what that package could look like, is there a team out there that you would prefer that he go to I'm sure covering the guy for years you know liking the team in general that you like Julio Jones to some point

and have been a fan of his is there somewhere in particular you would want to go see him go to enjoy the final few years of his career if it's not going to be with the Falcons yeah you know I've been asked this question a couple of times over the last six months, and my answer has been consistently Baltimore. I feel like he's that last piece to get that passing game to the next level in conjunction with their running game and with their defense. He would be that sort of final piece to the puzzle that would put them over the top rather than relying on some of the young wide receivers

that they've drafted over the last couple of years. They got a good one in Rashad Bateman, but you know the difference between what Julio can do right away. I feel like that's going to be the final piece for Baltimore. So if I'm hoping for Julio to land on his feet and to have an opportunity to win that Super Bowl that he may not have an opportunity to win here in Atlanta, I think Baltimore is probably the best place for him. Yeah, well, I talked yesterday about different like the pros and cons from other competitors who would get Julio Jones and Baltimore was one of the teams that I talked about. And it's kind of a chicken or the egg. Is their passing game not up to snuff because of Lamar?

Is it because of the weapons? Does Lamar affect the weapons? I don't know. Julio onto the Ravens would definitely help us answer that question. So I would be OK with that. But gosh, I can't stand the Ravens for obvious reasons. So that would hurt. But as for Julio going to the Titans, really what I wanted to do here was get a realistic perspective on what you think covering the team would be adequate value and adequate return and a realistic return. Cause I have thoughts in my head and I've thrown out trade packages on Twitter at Tic Tac Titans about different possibilities the Titans

could send over but I guess I want you to tell me am I nuts is really what the whole point is here so I guess I think the baseline is probably a second round pick we saw that Schefter tweet he said the Falcons won a first but most people around the league think it's going to be a second round pick. We saw that Schefter tweet. He said the Falcons won a first, but most people around the league think it's going to be a second. Do you think just to start a baseline, the number one asset, do you think the Titans could start their package off with a 2022 second rounder? Or do you think that to win this race between multiple teams,

whether it be the Titans or not, a first rounder will have to be on the table. Cause it sounds like the Patriots, the Ravens, maybe the Chargers, the Titans. These are mostly winning teams who will have late draft picks. So do you think a first is required to get this done? Well, if I was in Terry Fontenot, the Falcons general manager's shoes, I would require a first to get it started because I don't want to part ways with Julio Jones. I want you to blow me away with an offer.

But realistically speaking, in the Falcons' shoes, I think everything I've heard is that they're not going to get a first-round pick. So I think really the starting point is going to be a second-round pick, and that's going to be the thing that really is going to be able to sweeten the pot because the various reports I've heard is that they might not even get a not even get a second round pick and teams are maybe offering a third round pick. So I feel like if you're going to jump to the front of the line to get Julio Jones, I think a second round pick needs to be part of the offer. Titans fans, this awesome conversation and mock negotiation with Aaron Freeman went a little bit longer than I expected, but it's a fantastic talk about this situation.

So I broke it up into two different parts. We are going to finish out the show with part two, which includes the brass tax negotiation and ultimately the deal for Julio Jones. Before we get into that, though, do want to remind you guys about betonline.ag, the fastest and easiest way to bet on all your sports action. Football isn't here, but you got baseball in full swing, NHL, NBA playoffs going on, a ton of UFC and MMA action as well. Make sure that you don't sit on the sidelines anymore. This is your chance to get into the game. Head to betonline.ag today, sign up for free, and use the promo

code LOCKEDON. You'll get a 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit. That's BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. but I have to be honest with you in in recent days I tried to be logical but I'm so emotionally invested in this now you got AJ Brown every day putting TikToks up trying to recruit Julio it's got me bought in I can't I can't lie but you know at this point if a first rounder has to get it done, it would take some other pieces off the table of what I think would be included in a trade. But I don't think the Titans would be nuts to do that. But let's talk about the second round pick. I think the Titans

would absolutely have a second round pick as their centerpiece of a trade package, if that's what's going to get it done, what you're saying is correct there there and true which I believe it is so from there my question to you would be would you prefer a I know that salary cap space is the goal here but we could see a trade of Julio Jones and then an extension of Grady Jarrett to carve out even more you never know if that could happen so do you think that the Falcons would realistically entertain getting a player back in this trade maybe a cheap player on a rookie deal? I might as well just spill the beans. Think about like a Rashawn Evans inside linebacker, run stuffer.

He played his best ball under Dean Pease. He's in the last year of his rookie contract, so no long-term financial commitment. You're just taking a flyer on a guy who, like Hassan Riddick, I think could be moved out to the edge and revitalize his career and maybe add some value to his career there. He's only $2 million if he's traded. Do you think that the Falcons would entertain maybe a second round pick and a Rashawn Evans, or do you think any player would just be off the table and they need to just look for draft picks? No, I think a player makes a lot of sense as part of the package, because I think when you're looking at what you're going to lose immediately on the football field in Julio Jones and, you know, short of the Titans giving up A.J.

Brown, you're not going to be able to replace that in Atlanta. So you want to get something that can help your football team in 2021 rather than just waiting until 2022 with that draft pick. And probably in all likelihood, given it's a draft pick and a rookie, you're of those guys that are on a rookie contract, makes a ton of sense for the Falcons to try to get some value on the football field this upcoming season. Yeah, and the Titans brought Jayon Brown back, and he's on a one-year deal, but they could look to keep him long-term. Jayon Brown's a solid linebacker, even though undersized a bit. Then they have David Long and newly drafted rookie Monte Rice.

I think those guys could battle it out and compete this season and replace Rashawn Evans for a reasonable price. So the question to me then becomes, a second-round pick in 2022, Rashawn Evans, do you think that gets it done, or do you think maybe a little more sweetening would be needed from Terry Fontenot? I got a little bit of a sweet tooth, Tyler. Sweeten that pot for me a little bit more. What else can I get out of you to sweeten that pot?

Well, here's my thought process. I had a little bit of a higher draft pick in mind, but if you are interested in Rashawn Evans, which I do think makes sense, the Falcons are looking to retool the defense. Guy who's familiar with the DC, with the head coach. Last year, no financial commitment.

What if we did a second round pick Rashawn Evans and a sixth round pick? Do you think that would get it done? My silence tells you that the wheels are turning, right? And I'm sitting here. I mean, it's better than your initial offer getting that six round pick you know i i mean if if you probably could raise that to a fifth i think that probably could get it done

okay okay well here is the thought process now from the titan so giving up rashaun evans a Probably could raise that to a fifth. I think that probably could get it done. Okay. Okay. Well, here is the thought process now from the Titans. So giving up Rashawn Evans, a starter on defense, giving up a second round pick, which 2022 picks are going to be way highly valued compared to recent years because the process should go back to normal. And that's going to give teams more intel. They'll feel more comfortable about the picks.

So that makes sense to me. Giving up Rashawn is a little tough to go along with the two picks. But ultimately, here's where I land. The Titans should be getting a fourth-round comp pick next year due to their free agency cancellation chart. So you kind of replace that fifth rounder with a fourth rounder. And it's kind of like you're doing the second round pick and Rashawn Evans for Julio in a sense, if you do the mental gymnastics to get there anyway, with the reality of the Titans pass

catching situation being, in my opinion, not Super Bowl worthy in a year where the Titans should be trying to win a Super Bowl with a fresh Derrick Henry still and Ryan Tannehill. I don't think either of those guys are going to be guys that play super long like we've seen some other players do. I think I can agree to that. I think a second-rounder, a fifth-rounder, and Rashawn Evans for Julio Jones, we can get the deal done. You wouldn't want to throw in a seventh-round pick, would you?

A seventh-round pick. On top of that, the Titans traded a seventh-round pick with the Isaiah Wilson situation. Wouldn't be interested in kicking a seventh-rounder for a lowly guy at this point, would you? I mean, I know you guys are dealing with maybe some cornerback issues. Maybe you take Isaiah Oliver off our hands. Oh, God.

Oh, man. I couldn't imagine adding more to that. The Titans have so many guys who I'm not certain if they'll even be able to play. You know what? I'm not going to get too greedy. How about I just take your offer before you hang up on me and change your mind? So a second-round pick in 2022, a fifth round pick in 2022, and then Rashawn Evans, Aaron Freeman, do we have a deal? I believe so.

All right. Julio Jones would be a Tennessee Titan, a second round pick, a fifth round pick, and Rashawn Evans. Aaron, I really appreciate you coming on and having some fun. I know it's not great to talk about one of your best players being traded, but I appreciate you being a good sport and going through this experiment with me. I appreciate you having me on, and I'm going to go cry myself to sleep later. Well, if Julio does get traded to the Titans and you want to hear Aaron cry himself to sleep, check out the Locked on Falcons podcast on whatever platform you stream. And Aaron, where can they find you on Twitter for just good football analysis in general?

Yeah, they can find me on Twitter at Falcfans. That's F-A-L-C-F-A-N-S. All right. Well, thank you very much, Aaron. Have a great night. So we discussed how the acquisition of Julio Jones could raise the potential ceiling for the Titans in 2021. We had an awesome conversation just checking the temperature

for the Atlanta Falcons fan base with Aaron Freeman before going into that pseudo, that mock negotiation. And I had a great time going through all of the different machinations that we were trying to work out. Ultimately, though, a deal for Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans was cemented by offering a 2022 second, a 2022 fifth, and Rashawn Evans. Do you guys agree or disagree with that package? Do you think I gave up too much?

Do you think I got a steal? Let me know on Twitter at Tic Tac Titans and make sure you check out the Locked on Titans Facebook page. on Twitter at TicTacTitans, and make sure you check out the Locked on Titans Facebook page. Also, of course, subscribe to the Locked on Titans podcast so you never miss an episode. Also, make sure you check out the Locked on Today podcast, all the biggest sports stories in under 20 minutes every morning. But that's going to do it for me today, folks.

As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.