ESPN ranks Julio Jones trade as most impactful in Falcons history

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ESPN ranks Julio Jones trade as most impactful in Falcons history

Matt Urben, Falcons Wire

Wed, Apr 29, 2026 ·

2 min read

The Atlanta Falcons are no strangers to draft-day trades, regardless of who is running the show. The team's last two general managers, Thomas Dimitroff and Terry Fontenot, both pulled off blockbuster trades during their tenures in Atlanta.

Fontenot shook up last year's draft by moving up for edge James Pearce Jr. on Day 1. While this gamble worked out at first, the team still missed the playoffs and had no first-round pick in 2026 as a result of the trade.

First-year Falcons GM Ian Cunningham pulled off a trade of his own during the 2026 NFL Draft, however, the stakes weren't nearly as high. Atlanta swapped fourth-round picks with the Las Vegas Raiders in order pick up an additional sixth-round pick.

ESPN put out a new feature highlighting each team's most impactful draft-day trade in franchise history. Atlanta's most impactful trade should come as no surprise. Back in 2011, the Falcons traded two first-round picks, one second-round pick and two fourth-round picks to move up to pick No. 6 overall for Alabama wideout Julio Jones .

Atlanta paid a hefty price to get Jones, but there's no doubt the franchise would do it all over again. Jones ended up being one of the best wide receivers of his generation and a potential future Hall of Famer, pairing with quarterback Matt Ryan to help lead the Falcons to Super Bowl LI in 2017. In 10 seasons in Atlanta, Jones was a two-time All-Pro selection and seven-time Pro Bowler. He owns franchise records for career receiving yards (12,896) and receptions (848). Jones also has quite a few NFL milestones to his name, as well, including most games with 250 or more receiving yards (three) and consecutive seasons with 1,400 or more receiving yards (five). -- ESPN's Marc Raimondi

While Jones' 10-year run was one of the greatest by a wide receiver in NFL history, his post-Falcons career left much to be desired. After being traded to the Tennessee Titans in 2021, Jones finished the season with 434 receiving yards and one touchdowns in 10 games.

After his one-year stint in Tennessee, Jones took his talents to the NFC South-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022. He had just 299 receiving yards and two touchdowns in one season with the Bucs. From there, Jones went to the Philadelphia Eagles where he had minimal success (11 catches for 74 receiving yards and three touchdowns) in 2023.

Regardless of how his career ended, Jones will go down as one of the most dominant wide receivers in NFL history. His next stop should be at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.