Julio Jones writes Instagram post thanking Atlanta Falcons fans

Julio Jones thanks Atlanta Falcons fans for a great 10 years together in an Instagram post.

After 10 Hall of Fame seasons, the Julio Jones era of Atlanta Falcons football officially came to an end over the weekend.

Jones’ relationship with the Falcons organization soured roughly two years ago. The rampant losing associated with the second half of the Dan Quinn era, coupled with one contract dispute after another finally got the best of the franchise’s greatest player. After an injury-riddled 2020 campaign, Jones and his camp decided they needed to move on and go play for another franchise.

On Sunday, Jones and a 2023 sixth-round pick were traded to the Tennessee Titans for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick. Jones leaves Atlanta as the franchise leader with 812 receptions and 12,125 receiving yards. He made seven trips to the Pro Bowl in 10 years, including two First-Team All-Pro nods in 2015 and ’16. He so deserved that Super Bowl…

Here is what Jones wrote to Falcons fans and the City of Atlanta ahead of his Nashville departure.

Julio Jones thanks Atlanta Falcons fans for a great 10 years together

As a Falcons fan myself, I have a very hard time believing Jones actually wrote this. I know how painfully frustrating it has been to love this team since the craptastic spectacle known as 28-3. But to see him wearing a Dallas Cowboys hoodie and then tell Shannon Sharpe on Undisputed, “I’m out of there” in like a week’s time, I am not sure if that is ever going to sit well with me.

By 2015, it was obvious he was on a trajectory to being the best player in franchise history. Even in the following season with quarterback Matt Ryan winning NFL MVP, Jones surpassed Deion Sanders as the best player in franchise history with the incredible grab that should have won my city a freaking Super Bowl. Instead, the meds wore off on Alex Mack’s leg, and we were screwed.

As painful as that lost in Houston was, it cut even deeper when it was fourth-and-Sark up in Philadelphia. That night, The Brotherhood died. Everything changed after that. Even in tremendous heartache and pain, Jones had been a first-class professional when it came to the media. He was, and always will be, about the work. But these last few weeks have been a twisting of the knife.

When it comes to the Cowboys hoodie, I will get over that. But when it comes to that Undisputed soundbite, well, that’s just the latest example of Atlanta sports collectively kicking us all in the ass. We all knew a breakup was coming, but for this to be a national embarrassment on FS1, Dirty Bird Nation deserved so much better than that, and you know it. Best of luck in Nashville, I suppose.

While Jones may have thanked Falcons fans over Instagram, just know how deeply he hurt us.