Report: Falcons Trading WR Julio Jones to Titans
The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to trade star wide receiver Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the deal may not be official for another few days, as Jones still needs to complete a physical. After giving the Falcons a decade of offensive power, the team returned the favor by honoring his trade request.
The team announced the full terms of the deal, which include trading their 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round selection to Atlanta in exchange for Jones and a sixth-round pick in 2023. The team said they agreed to terms on Sunday.
The seven-time Pro Bowler has been the league's most productive receiver over the past 10 seasons. Although he appeared in just nine games, Jones still collected 51 catches for 771 yards. That 15.1 yards per catch are right in line with his career average (15.2), Rapoport states.
A 6-foot-3, 220-pounder, Jones has 12,896 receiving yards and 60 touchdowns in his 10-year career, on 848 catches. He's caught over 100 passes in three of his seasons, and he had at least 80 catches and 1,300 yards every year from 2014-19, with an average of 104 receptions for 1,565 yards during that time period.
"He leaves Atlanta with a plethora of franchise and NFL records on his resume, including receiving yards per game (95.5). He'll arrive in Tennessee as a fascinating piece in what could be a championship puzzle," NFL.com writes. "The Titans are defending AFC South champs and just one year removed from a conference title game appearance. But their early exit in last year's playoffs combined with key defections — Arthur Smith shedding his offensive coordinator duties to become the Falcons' coach is tops among them — altered outside expectations for Tennessee."
Jones is Atlanta's all-time career leader in receptions (848), receiving yards (12,896) and 100-yard receiving games (58), and his 60 touchdown receptions rank second.
A few weeks ago, Jones was spotted working out with running back Derrick Henry and in April, wide receiver A.J. Brown said he’d love to share the spotlight with Jones.
“I would give up #11 if this happens,” Brown wrote on Twitter. “Playing alongside my idol would be crazy. No team is stopping this.”
Brown tweeted at the Titans that he wants "commission" for his efforts in Jones' recruitment.
Brown also shared a previous video of himself warming up for a game with a Julio Jones Falcons jersey, saying he "really manifested this before anyone knew."
In a more recent tweet since the news broke, Brown said: "Please excuse my language when I say this 'y’all done F*cked up.'"
Titans safety Kevin Byard also welcomed Jones to the team with a video shared to his social media.
It seems like the Titans are ready to welcome the future Hall of Famer with open arms.
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