Top 5 landing spots for Julio Jones
If you ask many of the Alabama faithful, they will tell you that Julio Jones was the beginning of the dynasty. Coming out of high school, he was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2008 class, and he was the first marquee signing of Nick Saban’s tenure.
Jones was the first true freshman wide receiver to ever start a season opener for the Crimson Tide and went on to be named the SEC Freshman of the Year. The following year, Alabama went on to win its first national championship under Nick Saban.
Jones left Tuscaloosa having started all 40 of his collegiate games and accumulated 179 receptions for 2,653 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.
Jones has been just as dominant in the NFL with seven Pro Bowl appearances as well as being the NFL’s receiving yards leader in two different seasons. Jones is arguably a top-ten receiver in NFL history and was as good as anyone in the game from 2011 to 2020.
Jones spent the prime of his career, including a Super Bowl appearance, with the Atlanta Falcons before bouncing around to the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
At the age of 34, Jones probably only has a year or two left in the league, especially coming off of back-to-back seasons where he missed time due to injury, but in the right situation, I believe that Jones can still be a valuable contributor to a winning team. He probably isn’t a guy who can be relied on for 17 games a year with 11 catches a week, but he can be a veteran presence and a guy who can be spurts of himself in big moments.
I believe these are the five best landing spots for Julio Jones:
San Fransisco 49ers
If Julio really wants a chance to go get a ring, I can’t think of a better place to go than San Fransisco. Outside of the Eagles, the 49ers have a pretty clear path to the Super Bowl. Plus, an offensive fleet that already consists of George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffery, Julio won’t be asked to do much other than be special on occasion. The only down side to the move would be that he will likely have to take a large pay cut, and the 49ers don’t have a ton of stability at the quarterback position currently.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are a rebuilding squad, but they will be fireworks show offensively in 2023. They’ve invested a lot offensively with first-round picks in Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson over the past three years. Jones is their all-time leader in virtually every single statistical category and would be welcomed to Atlanta with open arms. Plus, this is the only place where he will get a proper send-off for his wonderful career.
Kansas City Chiefs
A move to the Chiefs makes perfect sense for both parties. Jones joins the defending champions and Super Bowl favorites while Kansas City gets some depth and proven post-season success on the roster. The Chiefs are putting a lot of trust in KaDarious Toney to be the established WR1, and he has missed a lot of time to start his NFL career between here and New York. Jones would be a large presence on the outside and exactly what the Chiefs’ offense is missing.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have a pretty solid receiving core intact between CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Cooks, and Michael Gallup, but an offense that is already so pass-happy could use another option like Jones. Dallas is another place where Jones wouldn’t be relied on too heavily, but his addition to the roster would bring a great veteran presence and proven playoff success.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills would be the perfect landing spot for Jones in my opinion. Buffalo already has some great receiving options in Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, and Dawson Knox, but Jones would still get his fair share of targets. It feels like Buffalo has been a target away from the Super Bowl the last year or two and maybe Julio can be that final piece to their puzzle. Although, the Bills have very minimal cap space currently so Jones would be looking at much more of a veteran deal.
