NY Jets: 4 hypothetical trade packages for WR Julio Jones

NY Jets trade proposal for Julio Jones No. 3

This one might be the savviest of the four proposals, and it's something other teams should explore as well.

Jones' trade value is lower than his talent level would suggest not only because of his salary cap number, but because of his recent injury history.

The future Hall of Famer played just nine games in 2021 and teams are concerned about his availability going forward. What better way to mitigate the potential risk of an injury in a trade than by employing the "conditional" strategy?

In this scenario, the Jets would send a conditional third-rounder to Atlanta that would become a second-round pick if Jones plays, let's say, at least 14 of a possible 17 regular-season games.

A healthy Jones is still one of the best wide receivers in football (he was on pace for nearly 1,400 yards before his injury last year). This way, the Jets guarantee that they either get a healthy Jones or they don't surrender significant draft capital.

On top of the conditional pick, they also send Atlanta the fourth-rounder they acquired in the Sam Darnold trade, which would leave them without a pick in Round 4 as they traded away their own in the Jamal Adams deal.

However, they also receive a 2022 sixth-round pick in return giving them a whopping four picks in that round courtesy of the Jordan Willis and Steve McLendon trades.

Even if the Jets don't employ the "conditional" approach, some other team absolutely should. It just makes the most sense given Jones' current situation.