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.
Michael Rothstein, Falcons reporter: It's a trade that was expected to come down -- the question was just what team and what terms -- but it'll still be a jarring one for Falcons fans because Julio Jones is such a franchise icon. More and more, however, star players are not finishing their careers with the teams they are most known for, so this is basically what should have been expected.
Jeremy Fowler, national NFL writer: The big win for the Falcons is dumping Jones' entire $15 million guaranteed salary in 2021, because this was a cap and cash move above all else. Some teams wanted Atlanta to absorb part of the payout, and that was a non-starter. The Titans waited this out, so they didn't give up a massive haul and can restructure a few contracts to make room for Jones, instantly changing the complexion of the offense in the process
Dan Graziano, national NFL writer: My reaction is pretty clinical at this point, considering how long we knew this was coming. No surprise that it happened, where he ended up or what the compensation was. The Falcons had to trade him, everybody knew they had to trade him, they got about as much as they could have hoped to get and they got him out of the conference. The Titans had a crying need at receiver and got the best player they possibly could to fill it -- as long as Jones is healthy.
Seth Walder, sports analytics writer: It creates a disjointed offseason for the Falcons. Atlanta entered 2021 with a choice: run it back with an offense that still has serious upside and hope for minimal defensive regression, or tear it down and draft a rookie quarterback. Either was justifiable, but it's a lot harder to pull off the former without Jones. Instead of committing to either philosophy, it might end up in no-man's-land.
What's your grade for the trade from the Falcons' perspective?
Rothstein: B. The Falcons were unlikely to get a first-round pick and made this move, at least in part, because of their major cap issues and Jones' request to be traded. So with those factors at play, getting a second- and fourth-round pick while sending back a sixth-round pick was about as good of a haul as Atlanta was likely to get.
Fowler: B+. Second- and fourth-round picks in exchange for a sixth-rounder is pretty strong, all factors considered. That Atlanta had less than $1 million in cap space and couldn't pay rookie draft picks without significant moves probably cost it leverage. But some people around the league were skeptical the team could get more than a third-round pick. The Falcons did just that.
Graziano: B-. Again, this was about the best they could have hoped to do for a 32-year-old player who missed about half of last season and always seems to have some sort of physical ailment these days. They found a team to pay the whole salary (critical, since the reason they had to deal him was financial) and they got him out of the NFC. Considering they had to get this done and had to get it done now, they did fine.
Walder: C+. I disagree with the notion of trading Jones while trying to still win with Matt Ryan. But once the decision to deal him was made, the return was near the top of what Atlanta could have reasonably expected.
What's your grade for the trade from the Titans' perspective?
Davenport: A. This is a trade that is going to make the Titans' offense capable of matching firepower with any team in the AFC. They can gash teams with the rushing attack, but now they have the necessary weapons to engage in shootouts with the likes of the Chiefs and Bills. Giving up the picks they did is not much, especially considering Tennessee is also likely to get compensatory picks in the 2022 draft.
Fowler: A-. Can't fault a team for maximizing a two-year window with the game's best receiver of the past decade. This speaks to the Titans' loose plans to expand the passing game -- Derrick Henry is still the guy, but Tennessee must evolve, and this reinforces that. The downside: Tennessee just acquired a 32-year-old who was hurt for much of last year. There's always calculated risk in that, no matter the talent.
Graziano: B+. It's hard not to like the impact this can have on Tennessee's 2021 offense -- assuming Jones is healthy. The price is the price, and who knows, maybe that 2022 second-rounder would have been an impact player. But this is a win-now team with an offense that's ready to crush, and this can only help.
Walder: B+. Even though I don't consider the Titans quite among the top teams in the AFC, their contention window is open now, and it makes sense to go for it while that's the case. Jones may be 32, but he fills a major need, they aren't paying him a ton and he'll be cheap if they keep him in 2023.
Where does Jones-Brown rank among the NFL's best wide receiver duos?
Davenport: I'd say it's a top-five duo. The thing that is so exciting about both of these players is how they can gain yards after the catch in addition to catching the ball down the field. These are two big, explosive pass-catchers who make life easy for the quarterback. It all comes down to whether Jones can remain healthy.
Rothstein: Second, behind Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, both of whom are under 30 and, in Godwin's case, likely still ascending. Jones and Brown are an incredibly talented duo, but considering Jones had some injuries last year and is 32, Godwin and Evans seem to have more upside and potential to be even better in 2021.
Fowler: Definitely top five, but not ready to vault it ahead of proven tandems in Tampa Bay, Seattle and Minnesota, at least not yet. Jones needs to jell with Ryan Tannehill, which probably won't be a problem considering Jones' immense talent. But at 32, will Jones need to adjust or simplify his game? Tampa Bay and Minnesota have arguably two top-12 receivers, and Seattle's big-play ability puts it in the conversation along with Tennessee.
Graziano: No. 1. I feel like I keep repeating myself, but if Jones is healthy, I don't see how you can rate anyone else's 1-2 punch at receiver ahead of Tennessee's right now.
Walder: A pretty clear cut No. 1. There are other teams with two high-end wideouts -- Tampa Bay, Seattle -- but I don't think they're on the level of the Brown/Jones combination. If we were counting tight ends I'd probably rank these two behind Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, but we aren't!
Where would you rank the Titans in the AFC right now, and are they the favorites in the AFC South?
Davenport: The Titans are clearly the favorites in the AFC South. The Colts present a threat, but there are a lot of questions surrounding new quarterback Carson Wentz. As for the conference, the Titans figure to be a big-time competitor for the Chiefs. But watch out for the Ravens, Bills and Browns.
Rothstein: Tennessee has to be the favorite in the AFC South considering Houston's roster, Jacksonville's rebuild and the question of which Wentz the Colts will get. In the AFC, the Titans should be in strong consideration for being the No. 3 team (along with Cleveland, Baltimore and Pittsburgh) behind Kansas City and Buffalo.
Fowler: Rolling with the Colts for now, with Tennessee a close second. Indy is a bit more complete. Tennessee has made several strong additions on offense and defense, but the secondary still needs to prove more, and the pass rush must be solved (they should be better there).
Graziano: I have Tennessee as the fifth-best team in the AFC on paper, behind Kansas City, Buffalo, Cleveland and Baltimore. I think they should be the favorites in the AFC South until we actually see the Wentz rebound. My big remaining question is whether the Titans have done enough to fix their pass rush, which last year was a complete disaster.
Walder: I'd consider the Titans the AFC South favorites without much hesitation: They're the only team in the division with a proven commodity at quarterback. AFC-wide, the Chiefs are all alone at the top before a second tier of Cleveland, Buffalo and Baltimore. With Jones now in Tennessee, the Titans lead the third group, ahead of the Chargers, Dolphins, Steelers and Colts.