Julio Jones’ social media purge has people in a panic

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has made his Twitter account private and removed all of his Falcons connections. Is it time to panic, Atlanta?

Seven NFL drafts ago, the Atlanta Falcons traded up into the top 10 to select Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Julio Jones No. 6 overall. The Cleveland Browns ended up using Atlanta’s 2012 first-round pick on 28-year-old quarterback Brandon Weeden out of Oklahoma State, so that worked out pretty well for the Falcons.

While Jones has been nothing short of spectacular for the Dirty Birds, he did make a curious move with his Twitter account Monday afternoon. Jones made his account private, unfollowing all of his Falcons teammates and removing all of his Falcons pictures. What is going on in the Dirty South on this wonderful Monday?

For many fine folks on Twitter, it’s a sign that Jones is being traded ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft. He may still be in the prime of his career, but he’s only under contract through the 2020 NFL season for the Falcons. Jones is currently on the books for the last three years of his five-year deal worth $71,256,045.

According to Twitter, Jones is absolutely being traded to the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday. But let’s relax for just a second. While just about anyone in the NFL can be dealt — especially in the wake of one of the wildest offseasons in recent memory — Jones is still the most talented player on the team. Odds are that Jones will play his entire NFL career with the Falcons.

There is a chance he could just be going Zero Dark Thirty ahead of the NFL season. The guy is laser-focused and may only follow close friends and family members going forward. Jones has been one of the hardest workers on the Falcons for the last decade and is the ultimate team player.

If Atlanta did want to trade him it would need a massive haul in return, including players who could help them right away. It’s not like the Falcons don’t have a franchise quarterback already. Sure, Matt Ryan might be on the wrong side of 30. That being said, he should have at least five more years of prime ball left in the tank. Atlanta’s window to win championships is now.

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Of course, we have seen top-tier players like Marcus Peters get traded this offseason. It happens, but expect Jones to suit up for the Dirty Birds this season and many going forward. Maybe this social media purge leads to another All-Pro year for him? Atlanta can only hope for that.