Falcons legend Julio Jones really was one of the all-time NFL greats

USA Today

05-04-2025

Falcons legend Julio Jones really was one of the all-time NFL greats
Former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones truly defied explanation.
You could certainly try to come up with the right words and phrases to describe his style of play. Electrifying. Sensational. Unbelievable. Jaw-dropping. Spine-chilling. Otherworldly. Awe-inspiring. Mind-blowing. Wow.
Every franchise usually gets at least one player a lifetime that makes everything worth it; all the heartache, all the unreal lows, all the disappointments, all the blown leads, baffling coaching decisions and bad draft picks.
For the Falcons, that was and always will be Jones. For a long-suffering team that blew a 28-3 Super Bowl lead in front of the entire world in less than two quarters, you might wonder who in the world could make even that generational disaster somewhat palatable. Jones did. He really did.
Jones' retirement after 13 seasons came without a lot of fanfare on Friday, as the always humble NFL veteran shared a quick video on social media to thank various people along his football journey and announce his decision.
He chose to wait until 404 Day to share the news as a special nod to the city of Atlanta where Jones made his legend.
For someone as off-the-charts talented as Jones, who had every right to hog the spotlight as one of the NFL's truly elite talents, he always let the highlights speak for him. Playing for the Falcons historically was and still is a great way to avoid the NFL's limelight, if only because Flowery Branch is not one of the centers of the league universe.
Sports debate shows don't spend all that much time talking about the Falcons... unless they do something embarrassing. It's not the bedrock of conversation other franchises are, as the main thing non-fans remember it for in the past decade are that absolutely crushing Super Bowl 51 defeat.
The Falcons have missed the playoffs for the last seven seasons, which has kept them on the outskirts of national focus. It's easy to forget about Atlanta as a franchise, but the spirit of just how brilliant Jones was in a Falcons uniform still burns brightly.
Jones' retirement deserves to light up the entire NFL world. He was truly one of the greatest players to ever lace up their cleats and put on shoulder pads in professional football. He is the all-time greatest Falcon, the best NFL wide receiver of the 2010s and the player responsible for some of the most thrilling moments in all of football history.
If you're a Falcons fan, it's hard to put into words how much Jones meant to you... just how remarkable it really was to watch him throw out logic, reason and gravity each and every Sunday to remind even as tortured a fan base as Atlanta's why they still showed up every week with a spark of belief in their bellies.
When all else failed (and all else would fail from time to time), the Jet made you believe. Even when the game seemed lost, No. 11 gave you a chance. To give a Falcons fan hope is one of the hardest boulders to push up a hill in the NFL, but Jones did it every week. Do you know how Herculean a task that is?
Just look at this play from the 2016 NFC championship game, one where Jones sent two Green Bay Packers defenders into the phantom zone and basically cemented the franchise's second-ever Super Bowl berth.
The play itself is an all-timer for the franchise, Jones using his sheer force of will and astounding athleticism to sprint proudly into the end zone as thousands of euphoric Falcons fans cheered him on.
This was the final Falcons game in Atlanta's now-demolished Georgia Dome, and Jones made it count.
His Super Bowl 51 catch has been somewhat lost to time, stuck underneath the morass of 28-3 memes and New England Patriots highlights. However, Jones' simply incredible catch should have won the game for Atlanta. If the Falcons hadn't ... y'know ... Jones' catch would play in the hallowed halls of collective NFL memory on repeat.
Jones was particularly disrespectful to the Carolina Panthers over the years. In 2015, he Moss'ed linebacker Luke Kuechly for one of his greatest touchdown catches to help end Carolina's quest for a perfect 2015 season. A season later, he recorded his career-best day to the tune of 12 catches for a whopping 300 yards and a touchdown.
Even in his penultimate season as a Falcon in 2019, Jones was still putting up stellar plays, like this game-winning touchdown on Sunday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Jones really was also an A-plus human being. He was a wonderful role model for all of his young fans. He never made the game about himself. He quietly went about his business and gave the young folks sporting his jersey someone to idolize for his work ethic and commitment to excellence. Just watch this touching interaction with Jones and a young fan named D'Eric back in 2019.
The greats knew how special Jones was. Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald once told Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyle Murray that Jones was the best he'd ever seen. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, who styled his game after Jones and later played with him, called him the best wide receiver of all time.
For Jones, retirement should mean future enshrinement. He should be one day honored in the Falcons Ring of Honor. His No. 11 Atlanta jersey should be retired, too. A statue outside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium would be fitting. A spot in Canton in the the Pro Football Hall of Fame should be a lock if there is any justice in the football world.
It's just hard to really sum up how much Jones means to the Falcons franchise and fan base. Just like quarterback Matt Ryan, he holds a sacred place on the Mount Rushmore of great Atlanta players and will forever stand as the best player in the best stretch of Falcons football in the team's history.
Simply put, there will never be another Julio Jones. He is an unquestioned icon... the Falcons "GOAT" ... truly one of the best NFL wide receivers of all time. He deserves eternal flowers for what he brought to the game.