NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans released seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones after one season Thursday, designating him as a post-June 1 release to create much-needed salary cap space.
The Titans traded for Jones last June, trying to rev up the passing game by pairing the 10-year veteran with A.J. Brown coming off his own Pro Bowl season. But Jones struggled with a hamstring issue that limited him to 10 games, and he had the worst season of his career with 31 catches for 434 yards and one touchdown.
This move saves Tennessee approximately $11.3 million in cap space, though the Titans won’t be able to access that until June 1. Jones can sign with another team immediately.
Jones, 33, did catch six passes with four going for first downs and 62 yards in the Titans’ divisional loss to Cincinnati. He still ranks first in NFL history in averaging 91.9 yards per game, and Jones ranks 17th all time with 13,330 yards receiving. His 879 receptions rank 25th, and he also has 61 career touchdowns.
The receiver is the fifth player the Titans have released trying to clear salary cap space before the new league year started Wednesday and to keep outside linebacker Harold Landry and center Ben Jones off the free agent market.
Those two deals are cap friendly, costing the Titans only $8.4 million this season. But Spotrac.com estimated the Titans with $720,675 of cap space. The Titans still need to upgrade their wide receiving group and find a No. 1 tight end among other needs.
The Titans also announced they agreed to a multi-year deal with offensive lineman Jamarco Jones. The 6-foot-4, 293-pound Jones played 36 games over four seasons with Seattle. He has started at four different positions on the offensive line, including both tackle and guard spots.
The lineman was a fifth-round pick out of Ohio State in the 2018 draft where he started the last 27 games of his college career at left tackle.
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