The Falcons opened their mandatory minicamp Tuesday without the franchise’s all-time leading receiver in catches and yards gained.
Seven-time Pro Bowl player Julio Jones, a team captain in 2020, was traded to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
“Julio is an amazing player,” Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom said after practice. “An amazing teammate, and I’ll miss him, but we’ve got to grow and move on as a team. We have great guys in our locker room.”
The Falcons, while they will miss Jones, plan to move on.
“I definitely didn’t feel like it was going to be a distraction or (anything) like that at all,” defensive end Steven Means said. “I’m happy for Julio. He did a multitude of things for me personally. So, I’m happy for him. We’re going to keep going. It’s not a distraction.”
Jones’ nickname in the locker room was “cheat code” because of the amazing plays he made. But as the offseason unfolded, the team started to realize that he likely would no longer be with the team.
Jones asked for a trade in March, and the Falcons tried to work quietly to grant his wishes. Before the draft, general manager Terry Fontenot said the team was taking calls for Jones’ services.
“First off, I just have a ton of respect for Julio and all of the amazing things he’s accomplished in his career and for the team,” Lindstrom said. “I’m just thankful for the interactions I had with Julio. He was a great teammate and a great role model in the locker room.”
Jones tried to lead by example. After the team’s record dropped to 1-7 in 2019, he spoke up for coach Dan Quinn and asked the players to hold themselves accountable. The only question was what took him so long to speak up.
The Falcons finished the season 6-2 and temporarily spared Quinn his job.
The Falcons are starting to wrap their minds around the idea that Jones is gone.
“There is tremendous confidence within myself and then within our teammates to have the best product that we can on the field this year,” Lindstrom said. “We are just coming to work every single day, trying to get better. I think the connection piece as a team is really growing.
“It’s something that I’m thankful for now, that we are able to interact, be in the building. It’s fun, and it’s great to get back to that team atmosphere that COVID-19 took away from.”
Jones’ situation took a weird turn late last month when he appeared on the “Undisputed” show on FS1 and told Shannon Sharpe that he was “outta there” when asked about Atlanta.
The comments didn’t go over well with upper management, but the players were forgiving.
“You see everything through social media, and that just is how the world is today,” Lindstrom said. “I try not to wrap myself and get involved with it because usually nothing really productive comes from it.”
Jones, who turned 32 in February, played in nine games last season and still managed 51 catches and 771 yards. But his relationship with the team disintegrated over time with a messy contract renegotiation over 2018 and 2019.
The players didn’t seem to be caught off-guard by the trade.
“As a teammate, as someone in the building, you just keep your head down,” Lindstrom said. “Keep working every day and be as supportive as you can. That’s what I try to do. You see different things. You hear different things, and then as a player … besides being supportive to your teammate, you really try and tune the outside noise out because it’s really just a distraction to what you are trying to accomplish. I try to keep everything out.”
The Falcons have parted ways with three of six captains from last season. Jones was traded. Safety Ricardo Allen was released and signed with the Bengals, and center Alex Mack was not re-signed in free agency by the salary cap-strapped team. Mack signed with the 49ers.
Quarterback Matt Ryan, linebacker Deion Jones and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett are the remaining captains.
But Julio Jones loomed largest of the captains, and his trade will create a leadership void. Lindstrom believes the receiver group will step forward.
“Those guys come in with a great attitude every day,” Lindstrom said. “They are fun to be around in the locker room. I know they have huge accountability in what they do. ... We’re going to grow and just grow as a team.”
Means went to more detail about what Jones did for him personally.
“I will say just a boost for my self-confidence, self-awareness,” Means said. “How to approach the game as a pro. How to take care of yourself as a pro. The different ways to stay surf-board shoulders, where you never get too high and never get too low.
“Just a lot of different things that a guy of only that magnitude can teach you.”
Credit: AJC
The Falcons also admired Jones’ work ethic. Even though he wasn’t able to practice at times, he always went as hard as he could.
“Just the ability to always think about one more,” Means said. “It’s always one more with him. One more play. One more of whatever the case maybe. That to me is what I didn’t have before I got here. If I can go one more. I don’t have to finish the game, just go one more play.”
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