After 13 seasons of dazzling footwork, 7 Pro Bowl nods, 2 First-Team All-Pro selections, and over 13,000 receiving yards, Julio Jones has finally decided to hang up his cleats. The Falcons legend’s retirement announcement feels like the end of an era, considering he is leaving the league with a legacy only a few wide receivers of his generation can touch.
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Former Bengals WR Chad Johnson, who entered the league a decade before, believes that Jones will be a sure-shot Hall of Famer when the time comes.
“Julio, I know you’re gonna see this. Boy, I’ve always been a fan of yours. I’ve always showed you your love and gave you your flowers while you was actually still playing,” Johnson said on an episode of Nightcap. “I’m still a fan to this day. You’re gonna get that gold jacket—because you are definitely a Hall of Famer. You’re top five in my book.”
That’s high praise from one elite receiver to another. But the real jaw-dropper came when Chad argued that the void left by Jones’ legacy won’t remain empty for long, as he dropped a name he believes could be the next Julio.
“There’s a young fella down there at Ohio State… from Miami… who looks something just like him,” Johnson said. “Jeremiah Smith… might be the second coming of Julio Jones.”
Considering the Ohio State star is just coming off his freshman year, one might argue that Johnson’s expectation for the wideout borders on insanity. But such was Smith’s role in Ohio State’s CFP National Championship-winning campaign last year that Johnson’s claim starts making sense.
For instance, last season saw the 6’3″, 225-pound wideout tear through freshman records once held by none other than Cris Carter. And his stat line? A staggering 63 receptions, 1,037 yards, and 12 touchdowns in his first year, including five catches of 50+ yards. He won’t be eligible to enter the NFL Draft until 2027.
That said, Johnson likening Jeremiah Smith to the Falcons legend isn’t just because of their similar physical build and polished WR skills. Like Julio, the Ohio State star also has vice-grip hands, consistently wins contested catches, and glides past defenders with deceptive speed.
Impressively, some of Smith’s performances last season—especially the one against Oregon in the CFP Quarterfinal [186 yards, 2 TDs]—demonstrate the youngster’s ability to take over games on his own, something Jones did for fun in his 300-yard game vs. the Panthers.
So while Julio Jones gets ready for his inevitable Hall of Fame induction, Chad Johnson believes the next chapter in the Falcons star’s legacy is already being written. The book? Same genre. Same position. And maybe even the same greatness.
So Jeremiah Smith isn’t just ‘one to watch’ because, for Ochocinco, he might be the second coming.
