Julio Jones has been traded to the Tennessee Titans. The Atlanta Falcons will receive a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-rounder in exchange for the superstar wide receiver, while also sending Tennessee a sixth-round pick in 2023.
In 10 seasons with the Falcons, Jones caught 848 passes for 12,896 yards with 60 touchdowns. He was named to seven Pro Bowls and was a two-time first-team All-Pro. The 32-year-old was limited to nine games because of injury last season, when he had 51 catches for 771 yards and three touchdowns. He joins rising star A.J. Brown in Tennessee, giving the Titans one of the NFL's best receiving duos.
The Falcons, who have a new coach (Arthur Smith) and general manager (Terry Fontenot) have major salary-cap issues, and the trade will now allow them to sign their rookie class, which includes No. 4 overall pick Kyle Pitts. Jones had requested a trade in March.
We asked our panel of ESPN NFL experts to grade and weigh in on the Falcons-Titans trade, debate where Tennessee ranks in the AFC and rank where the duo of Jones and Brown is among the league's top receivers:
What's your gut reaction to the trade?
Turron Davenport, Titans reporter: This trade makes too much sense for the Titans. They found the ultimate balance on offense last season with a 2,000-yard rusher in Derrick Henry, a 1,000-yard receiver in A.J. Brown and another receiver in Corey Davis who finished just 16 yards short of 1,000. Jones takes the offense to the next level. Although he is 32, he's going to face the most single coverage he has ever seen as a pro and will have a young rising player in Brown on the opposite side of him. I don't think the compensation is too rich for the Titans. Injury could be a factor, but Jones should bounce back from last season, when he missed seven games with a hamstring injury. This is a great deal for the Titans.