For Julio Jones, One Number Keeps Rising

After a statistically disappointing 2021 season, the veteran wide receiver is not getting any younger.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans no doubt will consider plenty of numbers when it comes to deciding Julio Jones’ future with the team.

One that can’t be ignored: His age.

Jones turned 33 years old earlier this month, which puts him in some rare air at the position.

The list of NFL wide receivers 33 or older who made any kind of impact during the 2021 season is a mighty short one: Arizona’s A.J. Green caught 54 passes for 848 yards and three touchdowns; Buffalo’s Emmanuel Sanders caught 42 passes for 626 yards and four touchdowns; and Tampa Bay’s Antonio Brown caught 42 passes for 545 yards and four touchdowns.

That’s it. That’s the list.

And it’s not as if 2021 was a fluke in that regard.

An unofficial look back at the last five years shows only seven wide receivers aged 33 or older have caught more than 30 passes in a single season. Larry Fitzgerald did it four times, followed by Danny Amendola (three times); Sanders (two times); and one time each for Green, Brown, Julian Edelman and Jordy Nelson.

It’s not as if Jones hasn’t faced previous questions about his age.

Just last September, for instance, he was asked about those who doubted his ability – then 32 years old – to bounce back from an injury-plagued final season in Atlanta.

His response at that time? “Stay tuned.”

Unfortunately for Jones, there was no “told you so” after his first year with the Titans. Injuries marred his season for a second straight time. He missed seven regular-season games for the second year in a row, and almost all of his stats – like 31 catches for 434 yards, one touchdown and 19 first downs – were career lows.

Does that mean Jones is done, at least as far as making a big impact on the game? Not definitively.

Remember, he was no spring chicken in 2019 at age 30, but still managed to torch the NFL with 99 catches for 1,394 and six touchdowns. He’s one of the rare athletes who are just built differently. It was easier, though, to look back optimistically at those numbers last year, before a second straight sub-par season made Jones’ Pro Bowl years seem that much further removed.

If you’re of the belief Jones can indeed turn things back around, there are some numbers that should encourage you: For instance, the 14 yards he averaged on catches last year wasn’t all that far off from his career average of 15.2. Along those same lines, his average depth of target was 12.1 yards, just about the same as it was during his huge 2019 season (12.2 yards).

So those kinds of stats seem to suggest that, when healthy, Jones could still get down the field, get open and make plays.

But there are reasons for concern as well. Here’s one that jumps out: Per Pro Football Focus, the quarterback rating for passes targeting Jones last season was just 82.0, well below his career mark of 107.1.

Jones slid noticeably in other fields also, like yards after the catch and yards per route run – the latter a measure of both efficiency and production among receivers.

All those numbers – and many more – will surely come into play when the Titans plan their offseason strategy. Jones is scheduled to count $14.3 million against the salary cap next season. But with a post-June 1 cut, the team would clear $11.5 million of cap room.

So do the Titans cross their fingers, hope that Jones’ last two seasons were injury-related flukes and stick with him – hoping he can still be an impact maker at age 33?

Or will the organization feel that Father Time – undefeated -- has won another battle?