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It's safe to say that the relationship between Julio Jones and the Atlanta Falcons isn't great at the moment. Of course, the star receiver is a key part of one of the main stories circling the NFL at the moment as a trade out of Atlanta appears to be imminent. While chatter of a possible Jones deal has been around dating to the NFL Draft, things went nuclear this week when he made an impromptu appearance of Monday's edition of Fox Sports'  "Undisputed" program. There, he told host Shannon Sharpe -- who called him from his personal cell phone in the midst of the show -- that he is "out of there" when directly asked if he wanted to remain with the Falcons. 

While telling, the interview itself has now been thrust into controversy. 

First, it's unclear if Jones was aware that he was live on television at the time Sharpe called him and that he was being recorded. If he was unaware, that has the potential to be a bit of a legal mess for Sharpe and his network. California -- where the show is produced -- is a two-party consent state, so both sides of the call would need to have knowledge that it was being aired and/or recorded. According to Front Office Sports, Sharpe could face a misdemeanor charge for that violation that carries up to a $2,000 fine and/or a year in jail. Of course, that would only truly occur if a complaint was filed (it hasn't) and it would seem unlikely that Jones would go to those lengths even if he was unaware that he was live on air. 

The more pressing dilemma that this moment has created is what it may do to Jones' trade value. Per Front Office Sports, the Falcons were blindsided by the phone interview between Sharpe and Jones and had no advance knowledge or input on the conversation. The club reportedly believes it undercut its negotiating position as it continues to look for a deal for the 32-year-old pass-catcher. 

As it relates to that last assertion, Atlanta may have a point. With Jones essentially saying that he's done with the organization, it doesn't leave the Falcons any wiggle room to possibly drive up the price by saying that they are open to keeping him for the 2021 season. Everyone now knows that Jones in all likelihood will be playing elsewhere once Week 1 rolls around and that card of saying he could remain in Atlanta has now been taken off the board for GM Terry Fontenot. 

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Will that ultimately sink trade talks? That's unlikely given Jones' skill, but it may make things a bit more difficult for the Falcons to get proper market value for the ultra-talented receiver.