Blank Expected To Pay Jones For A Long Time.

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Falcons owner Arthur Blank is looking forward to paying a lot of money to Julio Jones for many years to come.

Blank told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Jones, who is heading into the final year of his contract, is likely to reach an agreement on a long-term extension soon.

“We are in the middle of those discussions,” Blank said. “We expect Julio to be lifer for the Falcons. We are moving forward and have every reason to be positive and be enthusiastic about it.”

Blank said he appreciates that Jones hasn’t allowed contract talks to distract from the job he does on the field.

“We’re moving as quickly as we can,” Blank said. “The player has been fabulous. He came into camp in great shape. He’s working all-out. There is no hesitation or question on his part. We are working with a very professional agent, who actually understands the business. He actually handled the last two wide receivers contracts, which helps a good bit.”

Blank indicated that Jones’s deal will be somewhere in the neighborhood of the contracts recently signed by Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant and Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas, both of whom got about $70 million on five-year contracts. Jones’s situation is different, however, in that Bryant and Thomas didn’t sign until after they had already reached free agency and were facing having to play this season on the franchise tag. Jones may sign a new deal before his current deal is up.

“I think whatever the market is,” Blank said. “We look at Julio as certainly being in that class. The specifics, his length of contract and where he is in his contract terms is different than those players were.”

If the 26-year-old Jones signs a five-year deal, it would keep him in Atlanta through the best years of his career, likely at a salary of around $14 million a year. That sounds like a good deal for both sides.

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Posted before the Falcons posted in it on their app

Scooped it.

Owner Arthur Blank said he expects Julio Jones to be a Falcons "lifer."

Blank said the two sides have been negotiating in "good faith." Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant set the bar high for next year's crop of free agent receivers by agreeing to matching five-year, $70 million contracts last month. Jones set a new Falcons single-season record for yards last season and should be just as dominant in 2015. The Falcons can franchise tag Jones next offseason if a long-term deal isn't reached. It's hard to picture him leaving Atlanta.

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Jones fo fo for life!