Veteran wide receiver Julio Jones has a new home, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
The seven-time Pro Bowler gives soon-to-be 45-year-old Tom Brady another weapon in Tampa, Fla., while Jones looks to bounce back from a poor season with the Tennessee Titans.
Most Rec YdsMost Rec TDJ. Jones 10,593 million Evans75D. Hopkins9,779D. Adams73M. Evans9,301A. Brown68* 2014 was Evans’ rookie season
Jones joins a receiver group with the Bucs that includes holdovers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Tyler Johnson, Scotty Miller and Breshad Perryman, and welcomed back Russell Gage — like Jones, another former Falcon — this offseason. Godwin is recovering from a torn ACL suffered late last season, and the Bucs plan to take things slowly with him as he returns from offseason knee surgery, so signing Jones gives them an opportunity to do just that.
Tampa Bay also signed veteran Kyle Rudolph last week, a move to bolster the tight end following the retirement of Rob Gronkowski.
The Titans released Jones in March, just one season after acquiring him in a trade from the Falcons.
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Tennessee spent two draft picks last year to acquire him, hoping he would provide much-needed balance to the passing attack. However, he appeared in just 10 games due to injuries and had career lows with 31 receptions for 434 yards and just one touchdown. It was the second consecutive season Jones was limited by injury. He appeared in just nine games for the Falcons in 2020.
The Falcons selected Jones sixth overall in 2011, sending several picks to the Cleveland Browns so they could take honors in Alabama. When Atlanta moved up to acquire Jones, it traded its 2011 first-round pick (No. 26), its second-round pick, two fourth-round picks and its 2012 first-round pick.
Jones, 33, is the Falcons’ career leader in catches (848) and receiving yards (12,896) and is second only to Roddy White in receiving touchdowns (63). His 91.9 receiving yards per game is the best average per game in NFL history.
He also leads the NFL in receiving yards since 2014, and Evans leads the NFL in touchdown catches (75) during that span. Now they are both on the same team.
Also Tuesday, the Bucs waived tight end Cody McElroy with an injured reserve. A source told ESPN that McElroy will undergo foot surgery this week after dealing with the injury during the offseason.
ESPN’s Jenna Lane contributed to this report.
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