FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — A legend has hung up his cleats.
Former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones officially announced he’s retiring from the NFL on Friday, April 4. Jones teased his announcement on Instagram and posted his full video on a different social-media app called Squad.
“I’m making this announcement today because of the city of Atlanta,” Jones said in the video. “Thank you, man. I appreciate y’all. It’s nothing but love. I’m doing this on 404 day.”
Jones was originally drafted out of the University of Alabama by the Falcons in 2011 with the No. 6 overall pick.
In order to get Jones, Atlanta made a massive deal with the Cleveland Browns. The Falcons packaged a total of five draft picks, including their No. 27 overall pick for that year, in exchange for the No. 6-overall pick.
The storyline surrounding the Falcons made the decision even more interesting. The team already had Pro Bowl wide receiver Roddy White rostered at the time, and many experts expected the Falcons to use their first-round pick on a defensive end.
However, Atlanta was coming off a 48-21 loss to the sixth-seeded Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round. The Falcons had been the No. 1 seed, but they weren’t able to match the Packers’ firepower and knew their offense needed another gear. Enter Jones, who became – and remains – the highest-drafted wide receiver in Falcons’ history.
“We knew it was going to be an aggressive move and cost us,” former Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said on April 28, 2011. “As an organization we felt very strongly about the move for a player who truly adds the explosive, urgent athleticism we’re looking for to improve on this team.”
And the aggressive move paid off.
Jones went on to have a historic career for the Falcons between 2011-20, totaling a franchise-best 12,896 receiving yards with 60 touchdowns in 134 games. He also surpassed Jerry Rice as the fastest player in NFL history to reach 12,000 receiving yards during the 2019 season. During his 10-year run in Atlanta, Jones totaled more receiving yards, yards after the catch and first downs off a reception than any other player in the league.
At the end of his run with the Falcons, Jones held several franchise records:
- 12,896 – Most receiving yards (career)
- 1,871 – Most receiving yards (single season, 2015)
- 848 – Most receptions (career)
- 300 – Most receiving yards in a game (Week 4, 2016)
- 182 – Most receiving yards (playoff game; NFC Championship, 2013)
- 136 – Most receptions (single season, 2015)
- 58 – Most 100-yard receiving games (career)
- 9 – Most 100-yard receiving games in a season (2015 and 2018)
- 3 – Most seasons with 100 catches (career)
- 3 – Most games with 250 or more receiving yards (career)
After his time in Atlanta, four of which resulted in postseason trips, Jones spent a season apiece with the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles. His last active season was in 2023.
In 2021, Jones asked to be traded. That’s how he landed with the Titans. The Falcons honored his request by sending him and a 2023 sixth-round draft pick to Tennessee in exchange for 2022 second-round and 2023 fourth-round draft picks.
Jones then signed one-year deals with both the Buccaneers in 2022 and Eagles in 2023 as a free agent.
The list of accolades Jones collected throughout his 13-year career is anything but short:
- Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010s Team
- Pro Football Reference First-Team All-2010s Team
- 2011 NFL All-Rookie Team
- NFL Top 100: Ranked top 13 six times, including No. 3 in 2017
- Four-time NFC Offensive Player of the Week
- NFC Offensive Player of the Month (September 2015)
- Led NFL in receiving yards in 2015 (1,871) and 2018 (1,677)
- Seven-time Pro Bowler (2012, 2014-19)
- Two-time First-Team All-Pro (2015, 2016)
- Three-time Second-Team All Pro (2017-19)
Also, Jones’ 13,703 career receiving yards still stands at No. 16 on the NFL’s all-time leaderboard.
Jones’ retirement comes at 36 years old.
“I started when I was 8 years old, just a kid from Foley, Alabama,” Jones said. “It was an amazing ride.”
