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A.J. Brown’s initial reaction to Julio Jones trade: ‘This has got to be a joke’

Jake Rill

By Jake Rill

Published:

A.J. Brown wanted to become teammates with Julio Jones on the Tennessee Titans. But there seemed to several teams in the mix to potentially trade for Jones, then with the Atlanta Falcons.

So, Brown didn’t actually think it would happen. And then, it did.

Now, Brown, a former Ole Miss standout, and Jones, a former Alabama standout, are the top receiving duo for the Titans on an offense that should be quite difficult for opposing defenses to stop in 2021. And even with training camp still in full swing, Brown is still in disbelief. He recently shared his thoughts on Jones coming to Tennessee during an interview with NFL Network.

“Surreal,” Brown said. “Just joking, just trying to recruit him as best as I can, he was just playing around. But he’s actually here, and when I found out, I didn’t really believe it. I was like, ‘This has got to be a joke.’ My phone was blowing up, and it was like, this is really real.

“But since he’s been here, we’ve been together, learning so much from him, just these talks daily. It’s football stuff and life stuff, too. We were already close, but this just made us even closer.”

Jones, a first-round pick out of Alabama in the 2011 NFL Draft, had spent his first 10 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons before he was dealt to Tennessee in June.

The Titans’ offense has more than Brown and Jones, though. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry are among the other standout players on a unit that should put up big numbers this season.

“Man, it feels good, and especially just to be a part,” Brown said.

And especially knowing he’ll be lining up alongside Jones, a 2-time All-Pro selection and 7-time Pro Bowler.

Jake Rill

Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.

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