article Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones will miss the mandatory minicamp which began Monday. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff released a statement late Monday afternoon making the announcement. It read: "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." Concerns over Jones’ future with the Falcons have been growing after several reports the All-Pro star scrubbed the team’s logos off his social media. RELATED: Falcons fans worried after Julio Jones makes social media changes Jones has played his entire 7-year NFL career in Atlanta after playing college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He finished last season with 88 catches for more than 1,400 yards. It was his fourth straight year topping 1,400 yards. Advertisement Jones signed a 5-year contract extension with the Falcons in 2015.<doc-sep>As has become custom in the NFL, the offseason has had no shortage of stories. But one that’s flown under the radar, at least for fans of the league at large, is the situation between the Atlanta Falcons and star receiver Julio Jones. The Falcons’ mandatory minicamp begins on Tuesday, and on Monday, Atlanta released a statement from general manager Thomas Dimitroff saying that Jones won’t be there. ‘We have much respect for him’ Jones has stayed away from the Falcons all offseason, but everything before this week has been voluntary. Minicamp is mandatory, and teams can fine players who opt to miss it. Time to pay up? Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones is skipping this week’s manditory mini-camp; he reportedly wants a change to his contract. (AP) “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,” Dimitroff said. “We understand the concerns and thoughts from their perspective. Although not ideal, Julio informed us today he would not be attending minicamp. “We have much respect for him and what he means to our team, our city and our fans.” Per the collective bargaining agreement, Atlanta can fine Jones $84,435 for missing minicamp. The sixth overall pick in 2011, Jones is a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first- or second-team All-Pro who has totaled 1,400 receiving yards or more in each of the last four years. Jones is just the seventh receiver in NFL history to record four seasons over 1,400 career yards, and only the second to do it in four consecutive seasons; Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison also topped that number every year from 1999-2002. Is money the issue? By all accounts, Jones is looking for either a bump in pay or a contract extension, though an extension seems unlikely as he has three years left on his current pact. Jones and the Falcons agreed to a five-year, $71.26 million contract in 2016 that included a $12 million signing bonus and $47 million guaranteed. He is set to have a base salary of $10.5 million for 2018. But since signing that deal, several receivers who aren’t as productive as Jones have signed fatter deals. Jones’ annual average is $14.251 million; among those who have deals that average out to more per year are the Chiefs’ Sammy Watkins ($16 million AAV), the Browns’ Jarvis Landry ($15.1 million AAV), and the Bengals’ A.J. Green ($15 million AAV). Story continues Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown is the league’s highest-paid receiver by AAV; his contract pays him $17 million annually. Jones saying little, as usual Jones hasn’t been seen much since the 2017 season ended, though he did take part in Cam Newton’s charity kickball event on June 1. Jones declined to speak to media that day. The 29-year-old has generally been one of the NFL’s quieter superstars, but one of his close friends, former teammate Roddy White, wasn’t afraid to speak up for his friend in a recent interview with ESPN’s Vaughn McClure. “It’s a tough situation, especially for him because he just signed a deal three years ago,” White said. “But the numbers would tell you he’s way, way, way outplayed being paid the amount of money that they’ve given him. “A lot of times, you don’t want to rub people the wrong way. On the other hand, when people look at the numbers and start stacking them up against people that are making more money than him, then it verifies that he should be paid a lot more money. Yes, he deserves to be the highest-paid [receiver]. I think he does, based on performance. For me, that’s a no-brainer.” Whether the Falcons agree enough to alter Jones’ contract remains to be seen. More from Yahoo Sports: • Braves star robbed of more than $100K while pitching • Former Patriots lineman Jones dies at 39 • Clemens’ homer-mashing kid is taunting everyone • Jeff Passan: Is one genius’ dramatic proposal the way to fix MLB?<doc-sep>Julio Jones was not at Falcons mandatory minicamp on Tuesday as he looks to renegotiate his contract with Atlanta. The Pro Bowl receiver was, however, working out. It just was with Terrell Owens. The Hall of Fame receiver posted a video to his Instagram story of Jones preparing to start his workout while Owens cheered him on. #Falcons mandatory minicamp starts today. julio jones is working out with terrell owens. @11AliveSports pic.twitter.com/8q2SjyaKLf — Alex Glaze (@Alex_Glaze) June 12, 2018 Jones signed a five-year, $71.26 million extension back in 2015. And sure, Jones working out with Owens, who notoriously clashed with quarterbacks during his playing career, might make the Falcons uneasy. But so far, the team hasn’t been upset with Jones — at least publicly. The Falcons released a statement Monday about Jones’ absence and offered their understanding of Jones’ position: “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.” Jones was just missing the driveway sit-ups.<doc-sep>
Things just got real between the Falcons and Julio Jones. In a statement released on the team website, general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Jones has informed the team that he won’t be coming to minicamp, which begins tomorrow. “We have been in contact with Julio and his representation. …. Although not ideal, Julio informed us today he would not be attending mini-camp,” the statement said. “We have much respect for him and what he means to our team, our city and our fans.” Jones did not show up for OTAs amid reports he was looking for a new contract. At the time, coach Dan Quinn told reporters he didn’t mind Jones’ absence but he said he did expect Jones to show for mandatory minicamp. Jones has been with the team since they traded up to draft him in 2011, and he signed an extension three years ago. However, there is no more guaranteed money left on the deal, and he ranks No. 8 in annual wide receiver compensation. Currently, Jones is scheduled to be paid $10.5 million in base salary for the 2018 season. His cap hit is $12.9 million. After that, he still has another two years left on the contract. There’s not much leverage for Jones at this point in time, but it does put the team in an awkward position. Left tackle Jake Matthews and stud defensive tackle Grady Jarrett are both entering the final year of their respective deals and are important pieces of the puzzle. Giving Jones a raise with three years left on his contract would not only set a bad precedent, it would make it more difficult to pay Matthews and Jarrett. Jones has said there’s no bad blood between him and the organization, and he agreed with owner Arthur Blank that he’ll be in Atlanta for his whole career. This is purely a business dispute. If Jones follows through and does not attend, he can be fined escalating amounts for each missed day, totaling over $84,000.