Julio Jones trade rumors: Titans’ A.J. Brown posts pitch for Tennessee

Julio Jones, with the possible exception of Aaron Rodgers, is the most sought-after player on the NFL trade market. And now that he has confirmed he’s out of Atlanta, there’s no stopping the numerous pitches he will likely receive from players as they try to lure him to their teams.

Exhibit A: Titans receiver A.J. Brown, who posted a voice message to Jones’ Instagram on Tuesday selling him on the idea of joining Tennessee.

“Just come mess with your boy,” Brown said in the message. “Hey, real talk: We waiting on you over here. You say you want to win, right? We just need a couple more pieces. Hey, trust me. Come vibe with me, man.”

MORE: Aaron Rodgers to Julio Jones? How Packers can pull off long-shot trade

Shoot your shot, A.J.

Sales pitch aside, the Titans do appear to meet at least one criterion Jones mentioned: He wants to win. The Titans have done just that in the last two seasons, making it to the 2020 AFC championship game and earning the No. 4 seed in the 2021 AFC playoffs with an 11-5 record before getting upset in the wild-card round against the Ravens.

Sporting News NFL expert Vinnie Iyer considers Tennessee worthy of an “honorable mention” in the Jones sweepstakes, but the Titans are considered among the betting favorites to land the superstar receiver, trailing only the Patriots according to BetOnline.

Jones (6-3, 220 pounds) and Brown (6-0, 227 pounds) would make for one of the most fearsome, physically imposing wide receiver duos in the league. And that’s not even mentioning fellow skill position player Derrick Henry (6-3, 238 pounds).

That said, there are a few hangups in a potential Jones trade, aside from the fact he is 32 years old and coming off a season in which he was hindered by a hamstring injury. He will count $23 million against the cap, of which the Titans have only $3.6 million. They could make a deal work, however, with a contract restructure — the most notable candidate being quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who would likely enjoy having another elite target on his team.