Latest news with #JulioJones
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Falcons First-Round Draft Pick Walker Wearing Historic Franchise Jersey Number For Atlanta
The Atlanta Falcons have recently released jersey numbers that the team's rookies will wear for the upcoming season. The Falcons released the jersey numbers for their five 2025 draft selections on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday afternoon. James Pearce Jr. will don number 27. The two safeties the Falcons added in the middle rounds of the draft, Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr., will don numbers 31 and 33, respectively. Advertisement Seventh-round draft pick Jack Nelson will wear number 69. For the Falcons UDFA's, the team has released the numbers that they will wear on the team's website. The most popular jersey number being tossed around the rumor mill is the one that Jalon Walker has chosen to wear. He will don the number 11 jersey. Georgia's Jalon Walker's name was displayed when selected by the Atlanta Falcons during the NFL Draft. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Given that Julio Jones once wore that number for Atlanta and will go down as a franchise great, it has caused some concern around the league. It is speculated that one day that particular number will be retired and will be unavailable for Walker to have. No one knows exactly when that day will come, but rest assured, it will. It isn't the first time since Jones left Atlanta that the jersey number has been worn. During the 2023 season, quarterback Logan Woodside wore number 11 for the Falcons. Then last season, quarterback Emory Jones had it. The only difference is that those two players only appeared with it once in a game. Walker will be an every-down player on defense as long as he remains healthy. Advertisement For now, Walker can wear that number with pride, but he may be forced to part with it soon when it hangs in the rafters. Related: Atlanta Falcons Rumored To Be Included In NFL's International Series Related: Atlanta Falcons 53-Man Roster Projection For 2025
New York Times
10-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Falcons set high expectations for rookies, starting with Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Julio Jones is not the last Atlanta Falcon to wear No. 11. Quarterback Logan Woodside wore it in 2023, and quarterback Emory Jones wore it in 2024, but neither had the type of production to jeopardize the jersey's association with Jones, a future Hall of Famer and the best wide receiver in team history. Advertisement The man the Falcons hope will be the next impactful No. 11 took the field for the first time Friday as edge rusher Jalon Walker joined 40 other rookies and veteran tryout players for rookie minicamp. 'It's an honor. I take it seriously as much as I can,' Walker said of wearing the famous number. Walker, whom the Falcons picked at No. 15, has worn the number since high school, and the team is hoping he will have the type of career that will result in him one day being remembered alongside Jones at the mention of the jersey number. 'I hate to even talk about him this way, but when you talk to guys like that, you see future captain,' coach Raheem Morris said. 'The team will decide that and he will decide that, but you see it in the makeup.' The Falcons have high expectations not just for Walker but for their entire draft class, most notably the top four picks, which include Walker, edge James Pearce Jr. (pick No. 26), safety Xavier Watts (No. 96) and defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. (No. 118). Atlanta believes all four players can be starters this season, assistant general manager Kyle Smith said. 'Make no mistake about it, we're going to have some real intentionality about playing our rookies this season, getting them on the grass and giving them the opportunity to play a significant amount of football,' Morris said. James Pearce Jr. (27) looks the part. — Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) May 9, 2025 The rookies arrived at the team's practice facility Thursday and held their only real practice of the rookie minicamp Friday, an hour-long workout that featured individual drills and seven-on-seven work. The young players will join the veterans next week for OTAs. 'This is really just to get the (the rookies) acclimated to how we do things so next week when they're with the vets, they don't slow them down,' Morris said. Advertisement Most of the eyes Friday were on Walker and Pearce, who spent the day side by side in individual drill work. 'There are really no surprises, just glad that the draft process is over with and finally get to work with the team that drafted me,' Pearce said. 'I'm happy to work with James,' Walker said. 'Can't wait to see where our journey starts.' Atlanta's pass-rush problems have been well-chronicled, and Morris said Friday that the offseason emphasis was to get them fixed. The Falcons finished 31st in the league in sacks last season with 31. 'I get beat up all year about not getting sacks, and that's got to change,' Morris said. 'The only way you can change that is to change that. That was part of our process, very intentional, going out and trying to fix the edge room.' The Falcons also added edge rusher Leonard Floyd during free agency and are expecting a fully healthy return for edge rusher Bralen Trice, last year's third-round pick who missed the entire season because of a knee injury. Atlanta's five-person draft class was rated the league's most valuable this year by Sharp Football Analysis, which used a formula comparing every player's projection coming into the draft with their actual draft selection. best value 2025 NFL draft classes 1. Falcons2. Browns3. Cardinals4. Eagles5. Giants6. Chiefs7. Buccaneers8. Steelers9. Ravens10. Bills see pic for 1-32 plus methodology READ FULL ANALYSIS: team-by-team & round-by-round analysis to follow 🧵 — Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 26, 2025 'We're not just adding bodies. These are impactful players, every single one of them, that we have a clear vision for, and it worked out,' general manager Terry Fontenot said. 'It doesn't always work out like this, but they fit needs, whether you're talking about the pressure players up front, and obviously, we know the versatility that we have there at the safety position, the nickel position. These are all needs for us, and it worked out that we're able to draft impact players in those spots. It doesn't always work out like that, but we're very excited about that.' Advertisement Watts could end up starting next to Jessie Bates III, while Bowman's role could take time to develop. He is expected to compete for starting nickel snaps but said Friday that he's training at safety as well. 'It's just a good group of guys,' Watts said Friday. 'I have talked to everybody, all just good people overall and we're all good football players. Can't wait to see what happens in the future, just excited to work with them.' (Photo of Jalon Walker: Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Seven-time Pro Bowler Julio Jones retires after 13 NFL seasons
Julio Jones' career is now complete. The seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver announced his retirement on Friday, ending his prolific NFL career after 13 seasons. Before walking away, he was the active leader in receiving yards with 13,703, which rank 16th overall in NFL history. Advertisement 'Today I'm announcing my retirement,' Jones said in a video where he thanked numerous players and coaches for helping him throughout his career in college and the NFL. 'It started when I was 8 years old, just a kid in Foley, Alabama. It was an amazing ride.' An Alabama native, Jones, 36, played three college years for the home-state Crimson Tide. He proved to be an immediately standout with two All-SEC second team nods before a first team selection his junior year. His gaudy numbers (179 catches for 2,653 yards) vaulted him into the top 10 of the 2011 draft when he was selected sixth overall by the Falcons. Julio Jones is calling it a career. Getty Images Jones spent the first 10 years of his career in Atlanta and was consistently one of the best wide receivers in the sport. Advertisement Over 135 games, Jones caught 848 passes for 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns and earned two All-Pro selections in 2015 and '16. The quarterback Jones teamed up with for the bulk of his career was Matt Ryan, who got a specific shoutout from Jones during his Friday announcement. Julio Jones makes a catch against the Giants in 2015. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post In particular, Jones appreciated what Ryan did during the receiver's first few months with the team, when the NFL was in a lockout. 'It was a lockout in 2011, you went as far as taking me to your home, showing me the playbook, going to fields, going over plays,' Jones said. 'Thank you, I appreciate you, man.' Jones said he specifically made the decision to coincide with 404 Day, which is an unofficial holiday on April 4 — which matches up with one of the city's zip codes — to celebrate Atlanta's culture. Julio Jones was a two-time All-Pro selection. Reuters He made pitstops in Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia but did not sign with a team for the 2024 season. With the numbers Jones put up, there is little doubt he will get his bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
19 Baldwin County restaurants claiming imported shrimp is locally sourced: report
GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) — An investigation into the Baldwin County restaurant scene and shrimp served has been finalized, leading to the finding of 19 restaurants making false claims, has learned. Baldwin County home listings rise 10%, sales prices up 7% According to a SeaD Consulting news release, the Southern Shrimp Alliance commissioned the group to genetically analyze shrimp dishes at 44 restaurants in the Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Foley areas. This investigation into the restaurants began after genetic testing of shrimp at the 2024 National Shrimp Festival, which found that four out of five vendors , according to the release. The consulting group found that 25 of the 44 restaurants serve 'authentic Gulf wild-caught shrimp,' while 19 serve imported shrimp, claiming their shrimp was locally sourced. The group said they also found that the seven 'boil houses' were serving authentic, local shrimp. 'It's disheartening to see both festival vendors and local restaurants misleading consumers,' said the President of the Organized Seafood Association of Alabama, Ernie Anderson. 'Our shrimpers work tirelessly to provide high-quality, sustainable seafood. 'When establishments misrepresent their offerings, it undermines our industry and deceives the public.' Specially trained nurses now caring for sexual assault victims in Baldwin County The study found these restaurants to be serving locally sourced shrimp: Acme Oyster House Baumhower's Victory Grille Beach House Kitchen & Cocktails Blalock Seafood & Specialty Market Bubba's Seafood House Cotton's Restaurant Coastal Orange Beach De Soto's Seafood Kitchen Doc's Seafood Shack & Oyster Bar Duck's Diner Fish River Grill Flying Harpoon Foley Fish Company Fresh Seafood Market Gelato Joe's Italian Restaurant & Bar Gulf Bowl & Captain's Choice Gulf Shores Seafood King Neptune's Seafood Restaurant Lartigue's Fresh & Steamed Seafood Local and Company Food+Drink LuLu's Gulf Shores Moe's Original BBQ Picnic Beach Bar & Grill Rouses Market S&S Seafood Market Foley native Julio Jones retires from NFL News 5 is sharing SeaD's results after the group studied numbered, not named, samples, to prevent bias, according to a spokesperson. Unmentioned restaurants may be serving locally sourced shrimp, but may not have been included in this study. SeaD provided an overview of the findings, but not the full test results, upon request. According to the release, the 19 restaurants that misrepresent their shrimp will be urged to align their practices with Alabama labeling laws. There will also be follow-up testing. 'We only publicize the names of the restaurants who are supporting the local shrimping industry first, and will send letters to those restaurants found to be misrepresenting so they can address the issue and ensure it's not a supplier problem,' a SeaD Consulting spokesperson said in a statement to News 5. 'The names are also given to local authorities for review and enforcement.' Alabama enacted the Seafood Labeling Law in May 2024, which mandates that 'restaurants and retailers disclose the country of origin and whether seafood is wild-caught or farm-raised.' The release said penalties for violating the law include warnings and fines up to $1,000, but the Alabama Department of Public Health had been inconsistent in enforcing the law. 'Until more enforcement is in place, Gulf Shores area residents and visitors are urged to stay vigilant and ask for the country of origin of shrimp when served at restaurants, and if in doubt, demand proof of local sourcing by asking to see the box the shrimp came in,' read the release. Baldwin County Strawberry Festival warns of online vendor scams For this year's National Seafood festival, vendors must sell local wild-caught shrimp, and fines will be issued for vendors who do not comply, but it is unclear how this will be enforced. 'The U.S. shrimp industry is facing a crisis. Many of our competitors farm-raise their shrimp using forced labor, banned antibiotics, and have received billions in international development funding,' said John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. 'American fishermen harvest premium-quality shrimp that grow naturally in abundant quantities right here in our local waters. Consumers want it. They prefer it. But, they cannot find it easily due to false advertising,' he said. Neil Costes contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
09-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Mike Evans rank among the best WRs in recent NFL history?
Where does Mike Evans rank among the best WRs in recent NFL history? Mike Evans is arguably the greatest Tampa Bay Buccaneer of all time. It is an opinion that is shared by many, and it is earned both on and off the field by the former Texas A&M Aggie. He will be a free agent next offseason if the team doesn't get a new contract done beforehand. The team will want to keep their franchise cornerstone and all-time great so he doesn't end up like Julio Jones, who left a team he built a Hall of Fame career with. It is that same Julio Jones who retired last week and got some folks thinking about the best wide receivers to play in the NFL over the past quarter-century. Dylan DeArdo of CBS Sports reflected on the last 25 years of the NFL and wide receivers who played in the league. Of course, Mike Evans is one of the best receivers in that time and DeArdo agreed. He had Evans come in at the 8th best wide receiver in the NFL since 2000. He explains the ranking, saying, "While he may not have some of the accolades other wideouts on this list have, Evans has the record for the most 1,000-yard reasons to begin a career. Evans' 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons is tied with the legendary Jerry Rice for most all time. Evans' career also includes a Super Bowl win as a member of the 2020 Buccaneers." Ahead of him were players such as Andre Johnson, Steve Smith Sr., Reggie Wayne, and Larry Fitzgerald, who topped the list. Mike Evans will be looking to continue building on his Hall of Fame resume with a hopeful 12th year of 1,000 or more years to break his tie with Jerry Rice at 11.
