The seeds of Julio Jones' discontent with the Atlanta Falcons may have begun as far back as 2019, as team chairman Arthur Blank tells it.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Blank said Jones felt the contract Atlanta extended to him that year—a three-year, $66 million deal—wasn't enough for a player who, at the time, was arguably the best wideout in the NFL.
"Look back at the Julio situation in 2019," Blank said (h/t The Athletic's Jeff Schultz). "We, being [GM Thomas Dimitroff], coach Quinn, the player and his agent [Jimmy Sexton], were all kind of at odds with each other.