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Stifled by the salary cap Sergei Boikov Jersey , the Atlanta Falcons won’t be offering Julio Jones a more lucrative contract.

Not this year, at least.

Now the question is: Will the star receiver show up for training camp?

The Falcons informed Jones several weeks ago that they would not renegotiate his current $71.5 million package, which still has three years remaining and included $47 million in guaranteed money, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the talks have not been made public.

The team’s decision, which was first reported by The Athletic, does not preclude talks after the season on a deal more in line with Jones’ status as one of the NFL’s top receivers. But the Falcons do not believe they have enough financial leeway under the cap to renegotiate the contract in 2018.

The team hasn’t been told if Jones will be at training camp. Players are required to report next Thursday, with the first practice the following day.

Atlanta already agreed to a five-year, $150 million extension with quarterback Matt Ryan, the most lucrative deal in NFL history. The team is also focused on working out new contracts for defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, offensive guard Jake Matthews and safety Ricardo Allen.

A flurry of new contracts during the offseason dropped Jones, who makes an average salary of $14.25 million, out of the top half-dozen on the list of the league’s highest-paid receivers. Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans Daniel Winnik Jersey , Cleveland’s Jarvis Landry and Kansas City’s Sammy Watkins are among those now making more per year than Jones, a two-time All-Pro who caught 88 passes for 1,444 yards last season.

In 2015, Jones turned in one of the greatest seasons by a receiver with 136 receptions for 1,871 yards and eight touchdowns. He is a five-time Pro Bowler.

In an apparent sign of his unhappiness, Jones skipped organized team workouts at the team’s training facility this summer, as well as a mandatory minicamp. But he apparently took part in Ryan’s private passing camp in California along with about a dozen of his teammates this month.

Jones has gone silent on social media and hasn’t talked with the Atlanta media in months. In one of his rare media appearances, he told TMZ that he has a good relationship with the franchise that pulled off a huge trade with Cleveland to make him a first-round pick in 2011.

”Everyone wants a story right now. There’s no story to be told,” Jones insisted. ”I’m just working on getting myself better. I’m just working on myself right now. That’s all that is. There’s no bad blood between me and the team or anything like that.”

Jones remains in the good graces of coach Dan Quinn, who didn’t seem at all upset when Jones skipped the minicamp .

”Sometimes football and business intersect,” Quinn said. ”That’s OK and that happens a lot.”

Quinn has talked constantly of ”brotherhood” and making sure players do everything as a team. For instance, the players stood together as a team on the sideline during the national anthem for all games after two players kneeled in protest early in the 2017 season.

Quinn doesn’t think Jones’ absence has affected the Falcons’ unity.

”Do we want everybody here all the time? Hell yeah Kevin Shattenkirk Jersey , like all the time,” the coach said. ”What I’d say is if you ask to a man, the guy is a hell of a teammate, and the time he spends here, the way he mentors people, how hard he plays, there is plenty of brotherhood in Julio.”

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The Patriots have mostly been conservative in recent NFL drafts, often moving down on the board or being content to search for gems in the undrafted player pool.

This year they don't have that luxury with several holes to fill, including one behind 40-year-old quarterback Tom Brady.

New England has plenty to work with. It holds two first-round picks and five selections in the first 95 picks. It shapes up to be a busy weekend that could go a long way in molding the post-Brady era.

Coach Bill Belichick said everything is on the table.

"We evaluate what our options are and try to do what we feel like is best, whether that's stay and pick a player, move up for a player, move back and trade into next year Alex Lewis Jersey ," he said.

"We've traded draft picks for players on the day of the draft; we did that last year. So, whatever the opportunities are, we'll evaluate them as they come."

With Brady under center, the quarterback position wasn't a huge priority for most of his career.

Brady is coming off an MVP season, but backup Brian Hoyer is the only other quarterback on the roster.

New England most recently drafted Jacoby Brissett (third round, 91st overall) in 2016. But the Patriots haven't selected a quarterback in the first two rounds since they picked up Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round (62nd overall) in 2014.

The last quarterback that New England selected in the first round? Drew Bledsoe in 1993.

Garoppolo seemed like Brady's successor until his surprise midseason trade to San Francisco last season. That deal followed the preseason trade of Brissett to Indianapolis.

New England got a second-round pick in return for Garoppolo, which is one of the bargaining chips it could use to select one of the sought-after prospects in this year's deep quarterback class.

Players such as UCLA's Josh Rosen and Louisville's Lamar Jackson could be targets if the Patriots move up. But so are players expected to be available later such as Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph, Richmond's Kyle Lauletta and Toledo's Logan Woodside.

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said he thinks New England will have to consider Jackson, but questions whether it would be too drastic a move away from Brady's style.

"I think the Patriots are as comprehensive as any team I've ever been around. The homework they do is amazing," Mayock said. "So I think they throw a wide net, and they look at a lot of people."

HIGHLY DECORATED

The Patriots have 16 first-team All-Pro selections via the draft since 2000, which ranks behind only the Panthers (18) Joe Flacco Jersey , Cowboys (17) and Seahawks (17). In addition, the Patriots lead the NFL with 63 Pro Bowl selections via the draft since 2000. Next are the Cowboys (62) and Chargers (50).

OTHER PRIORITIES

While the quarterback position has gotten a lot of attention, New England has perhaps even more glaring needs on the offensive line, as well as at linebacker and cornerback.

The Patriots lost both of their starting tackles in free agency when Nate Solder signed with the Giants and Cam Fleming signed with the Cowboys. They also need another dependable option at linebacker to help Dont'a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy.

The same need is there at cornerback following Malcolm Butler's mysterious Super Bowl benching and his subsequent free agency signing by the Titans.

UCLA's Kolton Miller and Notre Dame's Mike McGlinchey are likely on New England's wish list at tackle. Alabama's Rashaan Evans is a name to watch early as a possible pickup at linebacker. UCF's Mike Hughes is a candidate at cornerback.

HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS

The Patriots have had draft success on both sides of the ball recently. Garoppolo and 2017 Super Bowl star James White (fourth round, 130th overall in 2014) stand out on offense.

Defensively, safety Duron Harmon has been everything they hoped for when they took him in the third round in 2013. He's appeared in 16 regular-season games each of the past four seasons and led the team with four interceptions in 2017.

New England also got a huge bargain in 2015 when it selected defensive end Trey Flowers in the fourth round (101st overall). An injury kept him sidelined for all but one game his rookie season, but he's bounced back to have 13陆 sacks over the past two seasons.

But there have been high-profile misses. Cornerback and punt returner Cyrus Jones has struggled to stay on the field after the Patriots used a second-round pick (60th overall) on him in 2016. He spent most of his rookie season in the doghouse because of five fumbles. Jones then missed the 2017 season after suffering a knee injury in the preseason finale.

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