Julio Jones was long considered one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. The long-time Atlanta Falcons star spent 13 seasons in the league, recording 13,703 receiving yards and 66 touchdowns on 914 receptions. He added 163 rushing yards on 24 carries.
The first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft spent 10 seasons with the Falcons, earning All-Pro honors five times and Pro Bowl honors seven times. He helped lead Atlanta to their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history in 2016, where they suffered the biggest blown lead in Super Bowl history after taking a 28-3 lead. Jones recently reflected on the Falcons’ 34-28 overtime loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 51.
Julio Jones Reflects on Falcons Super Bowl LI Collapse
Despite missing two games in 2016, Jones had an incredible season. He recorded 1,409 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 83 receptions, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. Furthermore, he played a major role in the Falcons having the top-ranked scoring offense and quarterback Matt Ryan being named league MVP.
Jones’s success continued in the postseason, where he recorded 19 receptions for 334 yards and three touchdowns in just three games. He received just four targets in Super Bowl 51, however, catching all four for 87 yards. He recently reflected on the heartbreaking loss while speaking on the first episode of the “Legacy Locker Room Podcast”, which he co-hosts with Roddy White and Harry Douglas, stating:
“Man, about the Super Bowl – I have yet to go back and watch it. I haven’t went back to watch the game. And two, for me, in that game, it was just – I had four opportunities in that game. In that whole game, too, though. Like, all this with what I’ve done and as a team and we got to the Super Bowl, it’s just, like, I had four opportunities.
“I had four opportunities, though, the whole game. That’s insane. Four targets in the Super Bowl. But, again, I did what was asked of me.”
Julio Jones says to this day he still has NEVER rewatched Super Bowl 51😔
“4 targets in the Super Bowl. That’s insane”
🎥: https://t.co/qhbLWyjKqD pic.twitter.com/KicOz9H7AO
— Not Bijan (@InBijanWeTrust) May 27, 2025
The four targets marked Jones’ fewest of the entire 2016 season. They also marked the second-fewest of his postseason career as he received just three targets in 2023 as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. Jones left that game in the first half with a concussion, however, as it wound up being the final game of his career.