Matt Ryan and Julio Jones were among the best QB-WR duos for the better part of the last decade. But after 10 years in Atlanta, the Falcons traded Jones to Tennessee Titans. And Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons paid tribute to the future first Ballot Hall of Famer.
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The Atlanta Falcons made a number of major changes this offseason. The team moved on from HC Dan Quinn and hired Arthur Smith to replace him, as well as firing GM Thomas Dimitroff and replacing him with Terry Fontenot. But perhaps the biggest change of all could be trading their best WR in franchise history.
Julio Jones is among the greatest to ever play the position. He is the fastest player to reach 12,000 career yards and is one of only 6 players to have caught for 300 yards in a game. So Jones in Tennessee will make the Titan’s offense scary.
Matt Ryan and Atlanta paid tribute to Julio Jones
Matt Ryan and Julio Jones were pivotal in the Falcons Super Bowl run in 2016. But 2020 was a down year for both players. Jones appeared in only 9 games because of injuries and caught for 771 yards. And Ryan could only lead the team to a 4-12 record, tied for worst since he was drafted by the team.
So after a dismal 2020 season, Jones decided that he wanted out of Atlanta. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was among those who posted heartfelt messages in the wake of the trade.
“No player has impacted my career as much as Julio Jones. The best WR in the league the past decade! Wishing him continued success in Nashville. Not sure who I’m going to play cards with on the flights home now. Thank you for all you did for Atlanta and for being such a great teammate!” Ryan wrote on Instagram.
The Atlanta Falcons also posted a tribute video for Julio jones on Twitter.
Julio Jones will have another solid QB in Ryan Tannehill to throw him passes in Tennessee. And Matt Ryan will have 4th overall pick TE Kyle Pitts to catch passes from him. It should be very interesting to see how both teams fair in 2021.
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