Julio Jones is headed to Tampa Bay to join Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, but the Green Bay Packers were one of the teams interested in the veteran wide receiver, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
It’s unclear when the interest occurred and how aggressive the Packers were in acquiring Jones, who is 33 years old and coming off an injury-plagued season with the Tennessee Titans. The Packers signed Sammy Watkins in April and then drafted three receivers, including Christian Watson in an aggressive trade-up in the second round.
After signing Osirus Mitchell on Tuesday, the Packers now have 11 receivers on the 90-man roster entering training camp.
Despite a down year in 2021, Jones still averaged 9.0 yards per target, 1.84 yards per route run and caught almost 65 percent of his targets.
Injuries have become a big issue. Jones missed seven games with Atlanta in 2020 and seven more last season in Tennessee. Like Watkins, who knows his career revival in Green Bay must include staying healthy, Jones needs to prove capable of being available for the Bucs in 2022.
If nothing else, the production of Watkins in Green Bay and Jones in Tampa Bay will be worth watching this season.
Instead of joining forces with Aaron Rodgers and reuniting with Matt LaFleur, Jones is headed to Tampa Bay to play for the Bucs – one of the likely roadblocks for the Packers in the NFC.