Trade rumors surrounding Atlanta Falcons star receiver Julio Jones had been at the glowing embers stage for a few weeks now, but Jones fanned the flames Monday when he told Shannon Sharpe "I'm outta there" on FS1's "Undisputed" show.
Jones apparently requested a trade at the beginning of the offseason in March, and Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot acknowledged last month that the team would be taking calls about the former All-Pro receiver.
Needless to say, there is plenty of interest in Jones, at least among NFL players who would like to be teammates with Jones and took to social media to begin the recruitment process.
Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins has visions of pairing with Jones, as he posted a picture on Instagram of himself with Jones and fellow Cardinals receiver A.J. Green from the 2016 Pro Bowl with the caption, "Julio [you] remember what we talked about."
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey is coming from the opposite angle, as having Jones as a teammate would mean he wouldn't have to worry about covering him on defense. Ramsey was not bashful about what he was up to on Twitter.
A winning culture, a great city, prime time games, LA's number 1 football team, etc etc..
β Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) May 24, 2021
sounds like the Rams should be a place superstars should want to play football lol ππ€·πΎββοΈ
Blessings ππΎ #YesImRecruiting lol I wanna win π
Former safety Darius Butler asked the Twitterverse where folks thought Jones would end up, offering two of his former teams as his top picks.
I say he ends up on the Colts or Patriots!
β Darius Butler (@DariusJButler) May 24, 2021
Baltimore Ravens corner Marlon Humphrey, who, like Jones, played his college ball at Alabama, was hoping birds of a feather would flock together.
Falcon π€ Raven... be a bird forever and #CometotheRavens https://t.co/dk7EwDUvzm
β Marlon Humphrey (@marlon_humphrey) May 24, 2021
And New England Patriots offensive lineman Trent Brown is hoping Bill Belichick's busy offseason isn't quite done yet.
Come be a PATRIOTβΌοΈ @juliojones_11
β Trent Brown (@Trent) May 24, 2021