Julio Jones earned all the respect from the Atlanta Falcons organization, or at least should've.
According to the future Hall of Famer, he didn't initiate his trade from the Falcons. Instead, it came from random rumors that had him wanting the truth from the franchise, something they weren't willing to give him.
Arthur Blank and the Falcons clearly failed Julio Jones in 2021
Julio Jones, on the Legacy Locker-Room Podcast, revealed that he wasn't the one who initiated his eventual trade to the Tennessee Titans.
The trade came about weirdly. He said the media was asking about his future, and when paired with the vacant general manager and head coach spots, he was pushed out of Atlanta.
Through all of this, all the franchise receiver wanted was clarity. He said he would respect anything the team decided, as long as they were transparent.
He requested a meeting with Arthur Blank, which was scheduled and later canceled. He was never able to talk with the bigwig, which led to his sour feelings.
Hearing this is tough; Blank has done a lot of good throughout his tenure as owner. Most players respect him, and the league holds him in high regard.
However, after hearing Julio's comments, things are making more sense. There are past examples of the Dirty Birds failing to communicate with their players.
Roddy White admitted that he was never contacted prior to being released.
Harry Douglas admitted this has been an issue for the organization in the past.
By all accounts, Matt Ryan never saw the Deshaun Watson pursuit coming, prompting his trade request. To his credit, he didn't let that shadow his phenomenal career with the team that drafted him after he retired.
Then you think about Kirk Cousins, who was blindsided by the selection of Michael Penix Jr. Obviously, this is a different situation, but any player who signs a $180M contract figures to have security.
It has never been clearer what Blank's biggest fault is. He must fix the lack of transparency moving forward. You cannot treat players like that, even if you are trying to prioritize staying out of the football operations
All this said, there were some eyebrow-raising comments made by Julio. It sounded like he was venting four years of frustration, which may have blown some things out of proportion.
Hopefully, the Falcons and Julio Jones can repair their relationship, even if Julio is reluctant.
