Seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones shocked everyone on Tuesday when it was reported that he would be signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to team up with legendary quarterback Tom Brady.
Jones will join Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in what looks like the deepest and arguably the most talented wide receiver corps in all of football this upcoming season.
It has been a bit of a rough stretch for Jones over the past few seasons, with the veteran wide receiver only putting up 434 yards with the Tennessee Titans last year. Brady is obviously an extreme upgrade over Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, which could greatly help Jones revive his career moving forward.
Jones revealed during a press conference for the Bucs’ first day of training camp that he never imagined he would play for the organization after playing 11 years for the Atlanta Falcons, who are a division rival.
Despite this, Jones appears to be excited for what he feels could be a special opportunity for both him and Tampa Bay moving forward.
“But that’s the past,” said Jones of his time with the Falcons. “I’m here now. I’m looking forward. I’m not looking backwards. It’s a great opportunity for me to be a part of something special in the Buccaneer family. Just looking forward to getting to work.”
Injuries have played a big part in Jones’ regression over the past few years, but he revealed that he is fully healthy heading into the 2022-23 NFL season.
“I don’t have any issues, nothing lingering, holding me back, anything like that,” Jones added. “But it’s just the beginning. So I just have to check all those boxes first and then come out here and play.”
We saw how well a player like Antonio Brown did while in Tampa Bay as a third option, playing a big role in the team’s Super Bowl championship in 2020.
It remains to be seen exactly how he will fit with the pieces already in place, but on paper, he should certainly be able to have a similar impact for Tampa next year.
[Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pro Football Talk]
