Julio Jones released by Titans

The Tennessee Titans have released wide receiver Julio Jones, per Dianna Russini and Adam Schefter.

Designating Jones a post-June 1st release will save the Titans about $9.5 million in cap space, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. $2 million of his 2022 salary was fully guaranteed, so Tennessee remains on the hook for that. Tennessee will carry an $8.4 million dead cap hit in 2023.

General manager Job Robinson swung big and missed even bigger when he decided to acquire Jones in hopes of forming a “Big 3” alongside Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown. Robinson parted with a second-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, along with a fourth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft in order to acquire Jones from the Atlanta Falcons.

The aging Jones struggled to remain on the field as he dealt with recurring hamstring issues. Jones appeared in just 10 games with the Titans while recording career-lows in receptions (31), receiving yards (434), yards per catch and touchdowns (one) while averaging the second-lowest yards per reception total (14.0) of his career.

The Titans needed to get under the salary cap before Wednesday’s new-league year deadline, but a move as sizable as this one was NOT required. Make no mistake, Robinson prefers to use this money to acquire another player or two.

Don’t look now, but Tennessee now lacks proven receivers behind Brown. They must draft and sign multiple receivers.