Just over 10 years ago the Falcons made one of the best decisions in franchise history by trading up and selecting Julio Jones in the 2011 NFL Draft. This served as one of the boldest decisions in Thomas Dimitroff’s tenure as the Falcons’ general manager with the team giving up five draft picks for Cleveland’s No. 6 overall pick.
Jones turned out to be an All-Pro wide receiver who will certainly land himself in Canton, Ohio, as a Hall of Famer when his career comes to an end. After totaling just under 13,000 receiving yards and 848 receptions with the Falcons, Jones may have broken the hearts of Falcon fans in the cruelest way possible.
On Monday, during FS1’s “Undisputed,” Shannon Sharpe appeared to call Jones over the phone in the middle of a segment to ask whether or not he’d prefer to go to the Dallas Cowboys or stay in Atlanta. Jones ended up answering the call and ultimately confirmed his departure from the Falcons in the near future.
“Oh man, nah I’m outta there (Atlanta) man,” said Jones in response on live television. “Right now, I want to win.”
Whether or not Jones knew he was speaking on live television before his response is unknown, but the fact Sharpe told him they were on air after his response says that Jones was probably unaware. Before that point, there’d only been speculation that Jones would ultimately be traded before the start of the 2021-2022 season.
It was later revealed by ESPN insider Adam Schefter that Jones had requested a trade from the Falcons a few months ago, and Atlanta has asked teams that have inquired about Jones for a first-round pick in return.
“Essentially in March, Julio Jones told the new Falcons management – general manager Terry Fontenot, head coach Arthur Smith – that he wanted to be traded,” said Schefter on NFL Live. “And essentially, everybody tried to keep it quiet because they wanted to go about trading him very quietly, in peace, out of the public eye. And they had to wait till after June 1 to do it, from a financial standpoint, because of the cap hit that the Falcons would have to take after June 1, compared to before June 1.”
Once Jones confirmed his exit from Atlanta the NFL world went into a frenzy with fans trying to predict the best possible suitor for the 32-year-old veteran. The Falcons would prefer not to trade Jones in the NFC but will do so for the right price and are looking for the best value in either conference, according to Schefter.
The Patriots have become the favorite to land Jones with the Titans, 49ers, Ravens, and Packers trailing behind them, according to BetOnline’s website. Players across the league including Jalen Ramsey and AJ Brown have also begun recruiting Jones to their teams in hopes of turning their squads into true contenders.
“We’re waiting on you over here. You said you want to win…If you want to carry the lead, you can carry it.” @1kalwaysopen_ out here trying to recruit Julio to the @Titans 👀🤣pic.twitter.com/PD7It07jux
It’s likely that the Falcons selecting Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft was an attempt to replace Jones’ offensive production with tight end being labeled a “gold-jacket talent” by NFL analyst Bucky Brooks.
Due to Jones’ contract, age, and lingering injuries, the compensation that the Falcons could receive from a trade around Julio Jones won’t meet the standards of a perennial Pro-Bowl wide receiver. Moving forward, Atlanta’s offense will heavily rely on Pitts and third-year wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
