Julio Jones making his retirement official during the 2025 offseason set the stage for Atlanta to make an obvious move. The team set the precedent by inducting quarterback Matt Ryan into the team's Ring of Honor the year after the veteran's retirement. While Ryan's tenure was longer, there is no denying that many of those years were defined by the dominance of Julio Jones. The receiver's peak had him in the conversation not only as the best in Atlanta franchise history but in the league itself. Jones deserves to be inducted and brought back into the fold in Atlanta.
Things appeared to end in rocky fashion when former Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith took over. Jones had an infamous phone call on FS1 that let Atlanta fans know exactly how things would end. The receiver was traded to the Titans and would make stops with Tampa Bay and Philly each of the following two seasons. The trio of locations all had underwhelming results, better fitting a role player and not a league legend.
Julio Jones deserves to be put in the team's Ring of Honor in the 2025 season
No matter how Julio's career ended, there is no rewriting the dominance shown in Atlanta and what the veteran meant to the franchise. Bringing Jones back feels like a great page turn to the next generation of Falcons. This is especially the case when you consider it comes only a year after the team gave the same honor to quarterback Matt Ryan.
The only thing that could make it any better is if Jones and Ryan had been able to go into the team's Ring of Honor at the same time. Ryan, being inducted alongside owner Arthur Blank, felt a bit odd and self-congratulatory. Regardless, it is clear what the Falcons should do in the 2025 season, and it would be a surprise not to see Jones given the honor.
Julio retires as Atlanta's all-time leading receiver and ranks 16th in league history, leaving no question where Jones is heading four years from now.