30 NFL stars who could retire after the 2024 season

17. Julio Jones, Free agent

Julio Jones has been holding onto the end of his career for a few years now. Since leaving Atlanta, his stops have been more and more lackluster. It was a terrible trade sending him to Tennessee. Some thought he might be able to build himself back with Tom Brady, but he had fewer than 300 yards in Tampa. Then last season, he tried to play a few games with Philadelphia, but it didn’t turn into anything. Most games where he had 74 yards would be a failure. He had that all of last season.

Jones might be the most likely name on this list to retire. What more does he have to prove? He hasn’t won a Super Bowl yet, despite coming way too close. Maybe he’s waiting for the right time to do that, which would explain why he’s choosing the teams he’s choosing right now. Both the Bucs and Eagles had Super Bowl aspirations. 

At this point, why would a Super Bowl team even sign Jones as depth? He’s not even a decoy at this point. He was once possibly the biggest physical freak in football, and that’s saying something. He could catch anything within five yards of him. Now, he has trouble getting open.

We can’t see a team with a shot at a Super Bowl signing him at this point. It’s the same thing that happened to Jerry Rice at the end of his career. He tried to get on with the Denver Broncos, but they didn’t need a fourth receiver who didn’t play special teams.