The main discussion point at Atlanta Falcons mandatory minicamp this week is Julio Jones' absence.
The All-Pro receiver is staying away from workouts in hopes of getting a re-worked contract. Jones' $14.5 million per-year contract average places him eighth among receivers, behind the likes of Sammy Watkins and Jarvis Landry. With three years left on his deal, however, it makes for a tricky situation for the Falcons.
Coach Dan Quinn didn't provide much of an update on Julio's situation, other than to say he's been in touch with the wideout.
As for the players, to a man, they brushed off Jones' absence the way you flick a mosquito off your forearm.
A sampling of responses from Falcons players, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Center Alex Mack: "The biggest disruption is the questions that you guys ask. Everything else is business as usual."
Linebacker Deon Jones: "The type of player that (Julio) is, we know that he's going to come in prepared and ready to go. We are just focusing on what we have here. When he gets here, it's going to be back to work like it never happened."
Receiver Justin Hardy: "I'm just here to get better. I'm not really thinking about it. I know he's going to be doing whatever he can do to be good when he gets here."
Receiver Mohammed Sanu: "We're just practicing like we are any other day, just coming out here doing our job, whether Julio's present or not, we just focus on what we have to do today to get better."
Jones skipping workouts in June is a minor flesh wound on the Falcons offseason. If the holdout becomes something more as we move into August, then Atlanta can search for the panic button.
