Julio Jones

Julio Jones: biography

Julio Jones is an American football player who performs for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He plays in the position of a wide receiver. From a young age, the player showed amazing results in sports. Although he was good at several sports at a time, Julio chose to start a career as a football player, and succeeded in it.

Childhood and youth

Speaking of the player's background, Julio was born in a small town Foley, in the state of Alabama. He has an elder brother Philip. The boys have always been in a good relationship with each other. When they grew older, Philip continued to visit football games of his brother and support him from the stands.

When Julio was five years old, the father of the children left the family. The boys are very proud of their mother, whose name is Queen Marvis. She managed to provide a good upbringing for the kids, although she was very strict. The boys understood this because they lived in a dangerous place with frequent violence incidents. She tried to protect them from it. Later, in the interviews, Julio said that his mother is the most influential person in his life.

The future football star got an education at the Foley Highschool. It was the first time when the boy demonstrated his talents in sports and outstanding stats. He took part in more than three sports at a time: in basketball, football, long jump, high jump, and others. After some time, the talented boy made a decision to become a professional football player.

College football career

Julio Jones firstly started to play in a season opener for the Crimson Tide. He demonstrated a fantastic performance in a win over the Georgia Bulldogs.

Jones finished the regular season with 58 receptions, 924 yards, and four touchdowns. His performance in only his freshman year drew comparisons to NFL greats. According to ESPN, Julio is “a unique player with his supreme blend of size, power, speed and agility.”

In 2009, Jones finished the game showing good results with Alabama winning the game 34–24 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Jones's production in games increased during the second half of the 2009 season in the annual Iron Bowl game against rival Auburn.

Jones started his junior season with a breakout performance against San Diego State and in a victory over Duke. He also played well in a win at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. The sportsman had a final collegiate game when the Crimson Tide reached a bowl game.

Professional football career

In 2011, instead of playing for college, the sportsman decided to declare eligibility for the NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He made his NFL debut in a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

Jones started the 2012 season with a great outing against the Kansas City Chiefs. He also showed his high skills as a professional player in games against the Philadelphia Eagle, the Eagles, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the 2012 season, as a result of his successful season, he was selected for the 2013 Pro Bowl. He was ranked 26th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.

Jones successfully started the 2013 season, and his best game was against the New Orleans Saints. He continued to surprise his fans with the results in games against the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots.

In April, 2014, the Falcons accepted the fifth-year option of Jones's rookie contract. They extended his obligations with the team through the 2015 season. In November, Julio set a new personal record in the match against the Arizona Cardinals. He finished the season with perfect results, first in the NFC in both categories and third in the entire NFL, and was named to the Pro Bowl for the 2014 season.

In August, 2015, the sportsman signed a 5-year extension with the Falcons. He started the season with a strong performance against the Philadelphia Eagles. During the season, Jones had showed high scores against the Carolina Panthers and was given a title: NFC Offensive Player of the Week. He was selected to the 2015 Pro Bowl and was ranked by his fellow players as the eighth-best player on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

In September, 2017, Jones began the season against the Chicago Bears. During Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jones had a monstrous performance in a game as the Falcons won 34–20. His skillful playing earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week. He was ranked fourth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

During the 2018 season, Julio appeared in matches against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Washington Redskins, and the Cleveland Browns. He became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 career receiving yards. In December, 2018, the player was named to his sixth Pro Bowl, which he had to miss due to injury.

Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, his teammate, have been a dynamic duo in 2019. Through three games, the two have a combined 32 catches for 440 yards and six touchdowns. In a game against the Philadelphia, Jones became the Falcons all-time receiving yard leader.

In September, 2019, Jones signed a three-year extension, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the league. According to reports, Julio Jones' agent, Jimmy Sexton, dealt with issues regarding a contract extension for the player. For the entire offseason, all reports have suggested that the contract extension is right around the corner. Both sides have been persistent that they are confident a deal will get done promptly. But, five days before the season, there was a speculation that a Jones holdout could be on the horizon.

Personal life

There is very little that is known about the private life of the player. There is information, that he is not engaged with anyone.

On his Instagram account, Julio has over 1 million followers. All his social media accounts are filled with pictures of his games and inspirational quotes. On Twitter, the sportsman has over 550,000 readers.

The player is the owner of a unique hairstyle, he wears dreads.

Julio Jones has an opinion that a clean diet is his key to staying on the field. He shared with his fans that when he first came into the league, he was a young kid eating everything. He has completely changed his diet from now on, he started it during his second year, thanks to the influence of a former teammate, according to his words. He didn't eat meats, fried stuff and sugar.

The sportsman has an estimated net worth of $25 million. Julio Jones has multiple houses in the Atlanta area.

The player is certainly one of the biggest names in the sport. He takes part in numerous commercials: for example, Under Armour, and he was also seen playing in a pair of Nike Air Jordans. In addition, Jones has appeared in ads for companies like VISA, Bose, Foot Locker and YouTube TV.

Awards and honors

• 6× Pro Bowl selections (2012, 2014–2018)
• 2× First-team All-Pro (2015, 2016)
• 2× Second-team All-Pro (2017, 2018)
• 2× NFL receiving yards leader (2015, 2018)
• 2008 AP SEC Freshman of the Year
• Sporting News SEC Freshman of the Year (2008)
• SEC Coaches' All-Freshman Team (2008)
• Preseason All-SEC Coaches Football Team (2009, 2010)
• 2010 BCS National Championship
• AP All-SEC Team (2010)
• AP All-American Team (2010)