We have a major retirement in Pro Football as star Wide Receiver Julio Jones has decided to hang up the cleats.

Jones starred at the University of Alabama, where he was a member of the 2009 BCS Championship team. Drafted sixth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2011, Jones’ combination of size, speed, and vertical leaping would become a nightmare for opposing secondaries throughout the 2010s.

Compiling 2,157 Yards with 18 Touchdowns in his first two seasons, Jones suffered an ankle injury in his third season (2013) that held him to only five contests, but when he returned healthy in 2014, he went on a six-year stretch that set him apart from the rest of the league’s wideouts.  From 2014 to 2019, Jones was a perennial Pro Bowl Selection with two First Team and three Second Team All-Pros.  He led the NFL twice in Receiving Yards (2015 & 2018), receptions once (2015), Yards per Touch three times (2015, 2016 & 2018), and Yards from Scrimmage once (2015).  This astounding stretch led to an All-Decade nod.

Jones had a hamstring injury in 2020, and his time with the Falcons appeared to be ending.  Traded to the Tennessee Titans, Jones chased a Super Bowl ring with the Titans, but by this point, his age and injuries had caught up.  He played two more seasons, one with Tampa and one with Philadelphia, and exited the sport with 13,703 Receiving Yards and 66 Touchdowns.

Jones last played in 2023 and is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2029.  In our 2024 pre-season Hall of Fame Monitor, Jones was ranked #9.

We here at notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Julio Jones the best in his post-playing career.

Today, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Julio Jones to a one-year deal, and if he plays in a game, should extend his year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jones, who was a 2010s All-Decade Team Selection, and seven-time Pro Bowler, has 13,629 Receiving Yards and 62 Touchdowns, has the resume of a Pro Football Hall of Fame entrant, and possibly one who can enter on his first year.  Currently 16^th overall in Receiving Yards, if Jones is only 270 Yards away from vaulting into 13^th, which would move him past Cris Carter, Anquan Boldin and Henry Ellard.  He only had 299 Yards last year with Tampa over ten Games.

Should Jones help Philadelphia win a Super Bowl, it could cement him as a one-and-in Hall of Famer.

Jones was ranked #5 on our pre-season Hall of Fame monitor for active players.

The 2023 National Football League Season begin tonight, and we are ready with our revised list of the top 150 active (or hoping to be) players based on their existing Hall of Fame resume.

This is our fourth pre-season monitor, and you can find it all here.

A quick synopsis shows that we have the following:

19 Quarterbacks are ranked, including a brand new number one overall, Aaron Rodgers, now of the New York Jets. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes rocketed to #10 and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos regresses to #11.

Only 12 Running Backs are ranked, with no player in the top 25 overall. The surprising top player at this position is Alvin Kamara of New Orleans.

Wide Receivers are more represented with 21 on the list. Julio Jones is the only one in the top ten (we still rank Free Agents who we think have a shot to return) with three others in (#18 Tyreek Hill, #20 DeAndre Hopkins and #24 Davante Adams) in the top 25.

Only 5 Tight Ends are ranked with Travis Kelce at #7.

22 Offensive Lineman are on the list, including three players in the top ten (#6 Zack Martin, #8 Trent Williams and #9 Jason Peters). There are two other players in the top 25 with Jason Kelce (#12) and Tyron Smith (#16).

On the defensive side, there are 23 Defensive Lineman, led by the Rams’ Aaron Donald, who is ranked #2 overall. Other Defensive Lineman in the top 25 are #17 Cameron Jordan, #19 Calais Campbell and #25 Ndamukong Suh.

With the Linebackers, we have the only position where there are two in the top five, which are Seattle’s Bobby Wagner and Buffalo’s Von Miller who are #3 and #4 respectively. There are 19 overall, and two more in the top 25, #14 Khalil Mack and #15 T.J. Watt.

There are 13 Cornerbacks who are ranked, led by Patrick Peterson of the Steelers at #13. There is one other Cornerback in the top 25 with Jalen Ramsey at #23.

At the Safety position, there are 12 who are ranked, but it takes you all the way to #63 (Minkah Fitzpatrick) before we see our first one.

There are five Special Teams players, led by Ravens Place Kicker, Justin Tucker at #23.

As always, we thank you for your support of the site and look for more improvements, content and lists in the future.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #5, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #9, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #12, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #14.  Peak Period 2015-19

If we were to guess, we would assume that Julio Jones, a free agent, would not be able to find a spot in the NFL again. His last three seasons saw diminishing returns in Tennessee, Tampa, and Philadelphia, respectively, so his Hall of Fame case lies with what he accomplished in Atlanta. Fortunately for Jones, he accomplished a lot in the ATL.

Jones was chosen for the 2010s All-Decade Team, was a two-time Receiving Yards leader, and a seven-time Pro Bowler.  From 2014 to 2019, Jones never had less than 1,394 Yards, and was a three-time leader in Yards per Touch.  The only statistical issue is the lack of Touchdowns (66), but elite Receivers have gotten in with less.

Jones will enter the Hall of Fame, and the only question is what year.