The Atlanta Falcons will not trade franchise quarterback Matt Ryan or star wide receiver Julio Jones before the Nov. 3 trade deadline, sources close to the situation told ESPN.
Although the Falcons (1-5) are in last place in the NFC South and already have fired head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff, sources told ESPN they are not looking to move on from Ryan or Jones -- one of the most talented wide receivers in the game.
Other teams have tiptoed around Jones -- and those teams have been told in no uncertain terms that the Falcons have no plans to deal the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver, according to sources.
The same is true of Ryan, who also will remain with the Falcons through the remainder of the season, according to sources. Ryan, 35, has three years and $74.75 million remaining on his deal.
Falcons president and CEO Rich McKay said earlier this month that the franchise's the new general manager would have control of personnel decisions. Owner Arthur Blank said the traditional approach would be to hire the GM first then the head coach, but he added it could be out of sequence in this case for the Falcons.
Neither McKay nor Blank has emphatically committed to Ryan beyond this season, but McKay noted that "this will not be a situation where we're going to predetermine the roster for the next head coach and general manager."
Jones, 31, was Atlanta's first-round draft selection in 2011 and is the Falcons' all-time leader in receptions (820) and receiving yards (12,475). The third overall pick in the 2008 draft, Ryan currently sits ninth on the NFL's all-time passing list with 52,658 yards.
