Julio Jones And The Atlanta Falcons Have Agreed To A Record-Setting NFL Contract Extension

The Atlanta Falcons boast one of the best wide receivers in football, and on Saturday afternoon, the franchise came to terms on a potentially monumental contract extension with him. The Falcons and Julio Jones came to terms on a three-year extension worth $66 million, according to ESPN, bringing to an end Jones’ quest to put pen to paper on a new deal.

But what makes this extension so historic isn’t the total number, it’s that Jones is going to get every last penny of it. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Jones’ entire deal is guaranteed, with $64 million of the total cash due at signing.

For a non-quarterback, this deal is nearly unheard of, as Jones how has the record for the most cash due at signing on a deal in league history.

NFL contracts notoriously are team-friendly, with plenty of non-guaranteed money for players and mechanisms through which teams can get out of having to fork over cash — see: Brown, Antonio. As such, Jones getting this much cash in hand for signing on the dotted line and having the entire extension guaranteed is something that could potentially have ripple effects across the league.

The extension means Jones’ current deal runs through 2023. Jones has spent his entire eight-year career in Atlanta, and the six-time Pro Bowl selection has recorded 698 catches for 10,731 yards and 51 touchdowns in his prolific career.