Getty Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons.
The wait is officially over. The Atlanta Falcons seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, Julio Jones, is headed to the Tennessee Titans on a blockbuster deal, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday, June 6.
Rapoport added that the deal may not be made official for another few days as Julio Jones will have to pass his physical.
Jones was originally drafted sixth overall by Atlanta Falcons in 2011. He leaves Atlanta as the Falcons’ franchise leader in receptions (848), receiving yards (12,896) and yards per game (95.5).
In his 10-year career thus far, Jones has recorded 848 catches, 12,896 yards, 60 touchdowns and 15.2 yards per catch.
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The Full Terms of the Blockbuster Deal
While the Atlanta Falcons initially asked for a first-round pick in exchange for Julio Jones, they will instead get a 2022 second-round pick and 2023 fourth-rounder.
The Tennessee Titans get Julio Jones and a 2023 sixth-round pick, Rapoport reports.
Full terms:
The #Falcons get a 2022 2nd round pick and Atlanta gets the titans 4 in 2023 and they give back their 6 in 2023.
The Titans get Julio Jones.
The Falcons also dodged a massive cap hit as the Titans will be taking on all of Jones’s $38 million dollar contract deal.
When this trade becomes official, the Falcons will finally have enough cap space to start signing their rookie class.
*This post will be updated as more information rolls out*
The Titans Get an A+ for Recruiting
GettyJulio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons swaps jerseys with A.J. Brown #11 of the Tennessee Titans.
Titans players came together over the past few weeks in getting Jones to Tennessee. But top recruiter and the team’s rising star receiver, AJ Brown, went above and beyond to target his idol.
Brown first took to Instagram to do his recruiting and posted the voice memo that he sent to Jones in a DM for all to hear:
“If you want to carry the load, you can carry it. If you get tired, you know I’ll carry you. …We waiting on you here. You say you want to win, right? We need a couple more pieces. Trust me.”
After Instagram, Brown got a little more creative and turned to TikTok. This is where he edited Julio Jones into a Titans uniform photo that also featured himself, running back Derrick Henry, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
When you watch the video, you will also notice Brown (while giving a sales pitch) has on a Julio Jones Atlanta Falcons t-shirt that he made into a “Titans jersey” with some blue ducktape. It also looks like he already has Jones’ number picked out for him as well.
Here is the dialog from the video:
Brown looks to Tannehill first and says, “Ok, I’m going to sell you on some things right here, listen to me closely. You have Tannehill, Mr. Finger Roll himself. Listen, he does what needs to be done. He’s a leader, he’s a great passer.
He then points out Henry, “Next, him, behind me––superhuman. We don’t even have to discuss him. He speaks for himself. Look how mean he looks in the picture.”
Brown even hypes up himself, “Then me, I’m up and coming. Pro Bowl, year two, not a big deal––kind of a big deal, but not really, okay. Scratch that, anyway, whatever.”
To top it off, he speaks directly to Jones, “YOU, the GOAT of our era, of our receivers. Help me, help you. Come home, Julio, come home.”
In the end, Jones got exactly what he wanted–––to join a contender with a “big-armed QB.”
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