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Kyle Shanahan’s comments spark rumors of Julio Jones trade

The trade rumors involving Julio Jones are continuing to swirl, and one under-the-radar team may have entered the mix.

It’s no secret that the 49ers coaching staff puts a lot of focus on its receiving corps, as Kyle Shanahan’s offenses have always scored a lot of points — in Washington, Atlanta and San Francisco.

And with the 49ers’ uncertainty at the quarterback position, it sure wouldn’t be surprising to see them make a play at a superstar receiver. Surrounding any quarterback with weapons can help both their confidence and performance.

Enter Jones.

The NFL forces coaches and players to be careful about collusion, so Shanahan was careful in his recent comments about Jones. But it sure looks like he’d love to have the Falcons receiver on his team, in comments he recently made on The Michael Irvin Podcast.

“Julio Jones, for everybody, especially if you had a chance to coach him, he’s what you’re saying and more,” Shanahan said. “I mean, the dude is one-of-a-kind. He makes coaching a lot, a lot, easier. That’s why everyone feels the same about Julio. That’s why I don’t worry about saying that. That’s like common knowledge. Everyone knows Julio is on a different level. That’s why he’s a special guy.”

Gotta love Shanahan throwing in the “common knowledge” bit, attempting to protect himself from any collusion allegations. Still, it sure looks like the 49ers have inquired about Jones’ availability. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future.