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Last fall, for the first time in 10 seasons, we didn’t see Julio Jones repping a red and black No. 11 jersey.
Instead, he was wearing No. 2 in Tennesse after the Atlanta Falcons traded the seven-time Pro Bowl wideout to the Titans in June of 2021.
Jones finished his 11th NFL season in blue and logged 31 receptions for 434 yards with one touchdown through just 10 games.
Following a disappointing season, the Titans released Jones in March and he still remains on the free-agent market as of mid-July.
So, what’s next for the future Hall of Fame wideout?
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Could Jones Make a Return to Atlanta?
With Jones still on the search for a new home, a reunion with the Falcons isn’t out of the question, according to Bookies.com who have the Falcons listed with the seventh-best odds at +1200.
Other teams projected to grab Jones ahead of Atlanta include:
-Green Bay Packers +325
-Indianapolis Colts +350
-Dallas Cowboys +550
-Cleveland Browns +600
-Kansas City Chiefs +950
-Baltimore Ravens +1000
While a homecoming would make for some excited and emotional fans, the Falcons have already stacked their wide receiver depth for the 2022 season, which means they likely won’t be calling Jones for a return.
Not to mention the fact that Jones made it clear that he was more than ready to move on from Atlanta, years before his trade went down.
Jones Wanted Out of Atlanta Years Ago, Per Insider
Following Jones’ split from Atlanta, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer revealed some truths behind the trade, making sense of it once and for all.
To start, Julio Jones wanted out. In fact, he wanted out two years prior when he requested a trade under former head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. Instead, he signed a $66 million dollar contract extension. However, that deal would later come to haunt the franchise’s salary cap.
Once Quinn was fired, Jones went to the new head coach-GM duo, Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith, before the 2021 NFL Draft to request a trade [again]. They honored Jones’s request and took calls from various teams. Initially, the Falcons were asking for a first-round pick and while several false reports said there was one on the table, Breer confirmed that there was never a first-round offer made.
The Titans were the only team serious about the trade and the only team in the mix that could afford to pay Jones more if he performed well last season.
Thus, he landed in Tenessee––excited for a fresh start.
Now, he needs another fresh start, but signing a cheap deal with a winning team makes more sense than heading back to the Falcons, who are on tap for another rebuilding season.
That being said, a reunion with his longtime head coach, Dan Quinn, in Dallas would be the best fit, especially since the team could use a veteran like Jones in their passing game.
And Quinn is a great recruiter of former Falcons as the Cowboys signed Keanu Neal along with Damontae Kazee last offseason and Dante Fowler Jr. this offseason.
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