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Julio Jones To Skip Mandatory Minicamp; WR Wants New Contract
Wide receiver Julio Jones informed the Falcons he will not attend the three-day event, which begins Tuesday and runs through Thursday, the Falcons announced Monday.

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff released the following statement on Jones after players reported for minicamp on Monday:

"We have been in contact with Julio and his representation. We will not discuss those conversations publicly except to say we feel they have been productive and constructive. We understand the concerns and thoughts from their perspective. Although not ideal, Julio informed us today he would not be attending mini-camp.

"We have much respect for him and what he means to our team, our city and our fans."

The 29-year-old Jones, who missed the voluntary organized team activities, wants a new contract, as previously reported by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. Meanwhile, Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith reports the Falcons appear unlikely to give it to him.

NFL.com's Herbie Teope notes that Atlanta recently took care of quarterback Matt Ryan with a contract extension, but Jones has three years remaining on his current deal and will earn a base salary of $10.5 million in 2018. The Falcons currently have $7.2 million in available salary cap space.

While Jones was not subject to fines for missing OTAs, he now places himself in position to face monetary penalties for missing the mandatory portion of the offseason workout program.

However, as Smith suggests, they may choose to try not to ruffle any feathers and hope they can persuade him to report to training camp, even without a new deal.

We'll follow up as needed.