Bama Central

The Extra Point: Nick Saban Played an Important Part of the Julio Jones Trade

Not only did the Titans thoroughly check out the former Alabama receiver during his time in the NFL, but called his former coach as well

Christopher Walsh

The fallout from the Julio Jones trade is beginning to be felt around the football world, with the Tennessee Titans making a bold move to try and return to the Super Bowl. 

The deal by the Atlanta Falcons, who sent Jones and a 2023 sixth-round pick to Tennessee in exchange for a 2022 second-rounder and a 2023 fourth-rounder, was actually a long time in the making, which Albert Breer wrote extensively about in this week's edition of MMQB: The Julio Jones Trade Has Been in the Works for a Long Time.

In his story, though, is an item Alabama fans will not be surprised to hear about. 

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel spoke multiple times with Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban before the Titans made the trade.

"Yeah, we did a lot of background work, talked to several different people," General manager John Robinson told SI. "Everybody was pumped about his competitiveness, his desire to win, the way he works. And at the end of the day, Coach Saban spoke highly of Julio and his approach to the game of football. 

"It felt like that was kind of the final straw. You have arguably the greatest college coach of all-time to endorse a player that he coached in college, and obviously has stayed in contact with. I think that was kind of the closer, that ‘Hey, this guy's about what we're about.’”

This past season the Titans made the playoffs only to lose in the wild-car round. Two years ago they reached the AFC Championship.

As for this season coming up, SportsBetting.ag dropped Tennessee from 40-1 to 25-1 after Jones was traded. Here are all the ways the trade impacted the Titans’ futures odds:

Super Bowl: 40-1 to 25-1

AFC: 20-1 to 12-1

AFC South: +150 to +110 (now co-favorites with Colts)

Victory total: 9 wins to 9.5 wins

Tannehill MVP: 40-1 to 25-1

On the flip side, the Falcons' Super Bowl odds jumped from 50-1 to 66-1 while Matt Ryan's MVP odds moved from 28-1 to 40-1.

The Extra Point is a regular weekday feature on BamaCentral+, and often includes video and other elements from our FanNation parters. Other recent segments include:

10 Notable Things Tua Tagovailoa Told Dolphins Reporters

Another Alabama Player Makes Good First NFL Impression, Alex Leatherwood

Landon Collins Says He Has 'Renewed Drive' To Help Washington

Could the Broncos Be Bringing Patrick Surtain II Along Slowly?

What to Expect from Year 2 of Tua Tagovailoa in the NFL

Henry Ruggs III 'Ready to Assume a Bigger Role' With Raiders

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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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