Former Falcons star's career coming to sad end as free agency hunt continues

Thursday night's NFL opener is closing in as one former Atlanta Falcons legend continues to search for a landing spot. Watching the end of Julio Jones' career has been a sad sight for Atlanta Falcons fans. Jones seemingly overnight went from a top-five receiver to a player who is going to be the 4th or 5th option if he can land on a roster and manage to stay healthy.

Whether it was the Titans, Bucs, or Eagles each team added Jones in hopes of finding what was. In each of his three stops since leaving Atlanta the production goes down and injuries continue to mount. Aside from garbage time with the Bucs in a playoff game, there haven't been any flashes from Jones as the player he used to be.

If the Falcons have no interest in a farewell tour and Jones is unwilling to accept a non-contributing role this could be the end of the veteran's career.

Is the end of the future Hall of Famer's career?

If this is the end for the former Falcon, Jones will finish as the league's 16th all-time leading receiver with 13,703-receiving yards. If Jones does decide to stick around it is likely only to attempt to get the 300-yards he needs to move up three spots on the all-time ranking or in hopes of landing an elusive Super Bowl ring.

Jones jumped on with the Bucs and Eagles in an attempt to do just that but picked both teams a year too late. The only path for Julio's career to continue appears to be joining a team suffering from injuries or if the Falcons have an interest in adding his leadership and experience to a young position group.

Giving the veteran a chance to end his career where it began would make sense for both sides. Aside from the nostalgia it offers another reason for fans to show up and a leader for a very thin and young position group. Jones returning to Atlanta or landing anywhere looks increasingly unlikely, however, with this appearing to be the end of the Atlanta legend's career.