Report: Julio Jones to Sign One-Year Deal with Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The former Alabama standout will be teaming up with Tom Brady as he looks to add his first Super Bowl ring.

Julio Jones is teaming up with Tom Brady in Tampa. According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the former Alabama receiver will sign a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as he looks to add a Super Bowl ring to his illustrious career.

Jones, who turned 33 in February, spent the past season with the Tennessee Titans, recording 31 receptions for 434 yards and a touchdown over 10 games. Those numbers marked career lows for the seven-time Pro Bowler as he was sidelined for seven games with a hamstring injury.

Tennessee released Jones in March, one season after trading a pair of draft picks to acquire him from the Falcons. The decision to release the star receiver was primarily due to financial reasons as it freed up roughly $12 million in cap space for the Titans.

Jones, who was selected No. 6 overall by Atlanta in the 2011 NFL Draft, is the Falcons' all-time leading receiver. Over 10 seasons in Atlanta, he recorded 848 receptions for 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns.

Jones is a bit of a risk for the Buccaneers as he has missed a combined 14 games due to injury over the past two seasons. He’ll be joining a Tampa Bay offense that features a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Godwin is currently recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in December but is expected to be available for the start of the season. 

The move also unites Jones with Brady, pairing one of the most productive wide receivers of the recent era with arguably the game’s best-ever quarterback. Brady previously stood in the way of Jones earning a Super Bowl ring as he led the New England Patriots to a historic fourth-quarter comeback during Super Bowl LI.

Jones was one of the first stars of the Nick Saban era at Alabama, playing for the Crimson Tide from 2008-10. During that span, he recorded 179 receptions for 2,653 yards and 15 touchdowns.

UPDATE: Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Buccaneers officially signed Jones on Wednesday, giving him a 1-year deal worth $6 million base salary with a maximum value of $8 million.