Atlanta sent Julio Jones and a 2023 sixth-round pick to…
Atlanta sent Julio Jones and a 2023 sixth-round pick to Tennessee for a 2022 second and conditional 2023 fourth. Jones played only 10 regular-season games for the Titans, catching 31 passes for 434 yards and one touchdown before being released after one season. Atlanta used the second-rounder on Troy Andersen and later moved the fourth-round asset. Andersen's injuries limited his ceiling, but the Falcons still recovered far more durable value than Tennessee received.
Atlanta Falcons Received
- pick 2022 2nd round pick (58th overall, Troy Andersen)
- pick 2023 4th round pick (110th overall subsequently traded, Adetomiwa Adebawore )
Tennessee Titans Received
- player Julio Jones
- pick 2023 6th round pick (186th overall, Jaelyn Duncan)
Trade Analysis
Tennessee acquired Julio Jones from Atlanta in June 2021, sending the Falcons a 2022 second-round pick and a conditional 2023 fourth while receiving Jones and a 2023 sixth. The Titans were coming off an AFC South title and envisioned Jones joining A.J. Brown and Derrick Henry in an offense capable of making a Super Bowl run. Atlanta was beginning a major roster transition and chose future capital over extending its era with a high-cost veteran.
The Titans never received the version of Jones that had dominated for a decade in Atlanta. Hamstring problems limited him to 10 regular-season games in 2021. He caught 31 passes for 434 yards and one touchdown, all career lows for a full season. Jones did add six catches for 62 yards in Tennessee's playoff loss to Cincinnati, but the Titans released him in March 2022 after only one season.
Atlanta used the 2022 second-round pick, No. 58, on Montana State linebacker Troy Andersen. Andersen showed significant athletic upside and produced useful defensive stretches, including 61 tackles and an interception return touchdown in six games in 2024, but injuries repeatedly interrupted his development. The 2023 fourth-round selection landed at No. 110 and was subsequently moved, so the player eventually chosen at that slot should not simply be counted as an Atlanta selection.
The Falcons' return therefore was not spectacular, but it did not need to be to win the comparison. They moved an aging, expensive star at the right point in his career, received a Day 2 defender and retained another movable asset. Tennessee paid that price for one injury-limited season and no playoff victory.
Atlanta's original A comes down slightly to B+ because Andersen never became an established high-end starter. Tennessee falls from C to D because the acquisition lasted one season and delivered only 434 regular-season yards. The Falcons remain the clear winner.