NFL teams we'd like to see sign Julio Jones in free agency

For the first time in his career, former Alabama star wide receiver Julio Jones is on the free-agent market.

After spending his first 10 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, the team that selected him No. 6 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, Jones was traded to the Tennessee Titans in 2021. Unfortunately, that marriage came to an end after one injury-riddled season. The good news is that release means Jones is free to sign with whichever team will have him.

At 33 years old, the pass-catcher isn’t going to demand the same market he would’ve even 3-4 years ago. Why? Well, he’s no longer considered a top-shelf, No. 1 wide receiver. His production has drastically declined over the last two seasons. Part of that comes down to age, part of it comes down to injuries.

So no, this is no longer the same guy who once caught 623 balls for 9,388 yards and 37 touchdowns during a six-year stretch from 2014-19 — and that’s OK. There are still several teams that could use his services. Today, we’re here to discuss three franchises we’d like to see sign him to a deal.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs make so much sense for Julio.

In a recent piece I wrote about OJ Howard signing with the Buffalo Bills, I pointed out five things pass-catchers are searching for when looking for a new place to call home. For those who missed that article, I’ll help you out and go over them again.

• Money/security
• Stable head coach
• Super Bowl contender
• Quality quarterback play
• Opportunities

Julio won’t get all of that, but several of those boxes get checked by Kansas City.

Andy Reid is a stable head coach who isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The Chiefs have been to the Super Bowl — winning one of them — twice in the last three years. Oh, and Patrick Mahomes is considered one of — if not — the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Plus, there will still be opportunities.

And no, I don’t mean that Julio will get looks like a No. 1 receiver. In fact, he’d probably be the fourth or fifth option in that offense. But given his current age and tread, having other elite playmakers such as Travis Kelce, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling diverting attention away from him should be considered a good thing, even if it limits his opportunities.

This is team that’s already loaded up at receiver after also drafting Skyy Moore in Round 2 of the NFL draft, but I’m sure Alabama fans would love to see him get a Super Bowl before he retires.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady choosing to come out of retirement is big for the Buccaneers. And who knows, it could be big for Julio, too.

The Tampa Bay offense has fielded one of the league’s top wide receiver units over the last two seasons with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown all in the fold. Unfortunately for them, Brown is no longer on the team — and won’t be coming back anytime soon — while Godwin is coming off a torn ACL suffered in December.

Sure, tight end Rob Gronkowski will be back with the team for a third season, but more help is needed to get the Bucs by on offense, at least until Godwin can get healthy. I’m sure Tampa Bay will also draft another long-term option at receiver in April, but Julio can at least help out in the short term.

Yet again, this is a Super Bowl contender with a Hall of Fame quarterback who’s thrown for close to 10,000 yards and 83 touchdowns over the last two seasons. Veterans have already been flocking to Florida to play with the seven-time Super Bowl champ for the last two years. Could Julio Jones be the next?

New England Patriots

I wouldn’t say the Patriots are Super Bowl contenders necessarily, but they’ll at least be in the mix. They went to the NFL playoffs this past season with a rookie quarterback, after all. Oh, and that quarterback has something in common with Julio — they both starred at Alabama.

There were rumors last offseason that Bill Belichick and New England might be interested in trading for Julio when he was still with the Falcons. That obviously didn’t transpire, but I’m still convinced that Belichick would appreciate what the former Alabama receiver brings to the table, maybe as much as his good friend, Nick Saban, did while Julio was in Tuscaloosa.

That Patriots offense needs more playmakers around Mac Jones. No, signing Julio Jones wouldn’t eliminate that need, but he could at least help mentor second-round rookie Tyquan Thorton out of Baylor. In fact, there’s no one you’d want more showing some of your young stars how to handle their business the right way.

We’ll see what happens.

Other teams we like: Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills