Julio Jones’ career is now complete.
The seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver announced his retirement on Friday, ending his prolific NFL career after 13 seasons.
Before walking away, he was the active leader in receiving yards with 13,703, which rank 16th overall in NFL history.
“Today I’m announcing my retirement,” Jones said in a video where he thanked numerous players and coaches for helping him throughout his career in college and the NFL. “It started when I was 8 years old, just a kid in Foley, Alabama. It was an amazing ride.”
An Alabama native, Jones, 36, played three college years for the home-state Crimson Tide.
He proved to be an immediately standout with two All-SEC second team nods before a first team selection his junior year.
His gaudy numbers (179 catches for 2,653 yards) vaulted him into the top 10 of the 2011 draft when he was selected sixth overall by the Falcons.
Jones spent the first 10 years of his career in Atlanta and was consistently one of the best wide receivers in the sport.
Over 135 games, Jones caught 848 pᴀsses for 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns and earned two All-Pro selections in 2015 and ’16.
The quarterback Jones teamed up with for the bulk of his career was Matt Ryan, who got a specific shoutout from Jones during his Friday announcement.
In particular, Jones appreciated what Ryan did during the receiver’s first few months with the team, when the NFL was in a lockout.
“It was a lockout in 2011, you went as far as taking me to your home, showing me the playbook, going to fields, going over plays,” Jones said. “Thank you, I appreciate you, man.”
Jones said he specifically made the decision to coincide with 404 Day, which is an unofficial holiday on April 4 — which matches up with one of the city’s zip codes — to celebrate Atlanta’s culture.
He made pitstops in Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia but did not sign with a team for the 2024 season.
With the numbers Jones put up, there is little doubt he will get his bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
