Matt Ryan ranks ninth all-time in passing yards, with 55,767 to his name, and is tenth with 347 passing touchdowns. A whopping 12,628 of those yards and 59 of those scores have come at the hands of Julio Jones, his trusty top-tier wideout since 2011. No other player has more receiving yards since 2011, making them arguably the top QB-WR duo of the past decade, and one of the best in the game's long history.
But it might be the end of an era, the disassembly of a bond and natural chemistry that's hard to come by in any sport. That's a reality that the Falcons may have to face, if all the trade buzz surrounding Jones holds any truth to it. But if that's truly the best direction for the franchise to go, even those aforementioned factors may not be enough to keep Ryan and Julio together.
So you can't blame Ryan if he's not quite sure how the offense will operate if you take away that key cog, that trusty target, that dominant threat on the outside that has been there year after year after year. And according to ESPN's Michael Rothstein, that's exactly how Ryan feels.
If the stats mentioned above are any indication — and they are — then Ryan is right on with that last, brief summation of just how important Jones has been to his and the Falcons' success since he was selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. But with cap issues to navigate and the presence of two other first-round weapons who fit the timeline of the franchise better in 2018 No. 26 pick Calvin Ridley and 2020 No. 4 pick Kyle Pitts, it might be about that time.
And if that is the case, expect there to be several hungry suitors for an all-time talent like Jones. Even at 32 years old and with some injury issues nagging him in recent years, he should still have plenty left in the tank and can truly be a difference maker for an offense that could use a boost to their passing attack.
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