Julio Jones skipped mandatory minicamp this week, but apparently will still get some work in with his starting quarterback this summer.
Matt Ryan told reporters on Wednesday he expects Jones to attend a private workout with teammates before training camp begins in late July.
"There's probably about 12 of us that are going to get together in the month of July, and he'll certainly be a part of that," Ryan said of Jones, via ESPN's Vaughn McClure. "We'll have an extended period where we get some work together. You know, that's something that we've done in the past. The past couple of years, we were down in Miami.
"This year is a little bit later due to kind of my offseason, but we'll still have that chance to work together. And I think that will be really productive for us."
Ryan recently had twins, pushing back his offseason timeline.
Jones has stayed away from Falcons workouts as he hopes to rework his contract with three years left on the deal.
Ryan's expectations that his top wideout will show for private work underscores how Jones absence from minicamp means little in the grand scheme of the Falcons' season. Jones' only leverage is to withhold his services from the team to prove a point. Snubbing his quarterback next month would be a different brand of holdout.
Ryan isn't worried about Jones missing minicamp, even with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian tweaking some concepts. The QB believes the All-Pro wideout will get back up to speed quickly.
"I don't think that will be difficult,'' Ryan said. "He's such an incredible player, such a talented player. And he's been working hard. He's in great shape. I think he'll pick those new things up really quickly. And he's got a lot of time on task with 95 percent of our system. So, he knows this system inside and out. He's always extremely well-prepared. And I'm confident and positive he'll be ready to go."
