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You'd think Julio Jones would miss a beat at 33 years of age after a slew of hamstring issues.
No sir! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' shiny new wide receiver appears to have put the niggling issues that made him miss 14 games over the last two seasons behind him. In fact, he recently channeled his inner Randy Moss in training, catching an underthrown pass.
Watch the video of the incident below:
As if the Bucs receiving corps wasn't deep enough, Tom Brady now has yet another weapon to throw to in Julio Jones, as the 45-year-old chases his eighth Super Bowl ring.
Earlier this week, the Bucs signed Jones to a one-year, $6 million deal, adding insurance to a receiving corps that features Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The latter's making a comeback from an ACL injury (in another piece of good news for Bucs fans, Godwin wasn't placed on the PUP list to start training camp).
While Jones' signing was met with the requisite fanfare for a player of his caliber, there were a number of doubts over his abilities as he enters his 12th year in the NFL.
It's only training camp, but those doubters appear to have changed their tune from 'What does Julio Jones have left in his tank' to 'Damn, Julio Jones is about to have a SEASON'.
Jones was a free agent up until late July after the Tennessee Titans released him in March.
He missed seven games last season after the Titans dealt two draft picks to acquire him from the Atlanta Falcons. In Tennesse, he registered career lows with 31 receptions for 434 yards and managed just one touchdown reception.
Jones's arrival in Tampa Bay gives the Bucs an air of superiority, especially with a receiving corps that's raring to go. The former Cardinal also has a fair bit of history with the Bucs.
Having been a division rival for a majority of his career, Jones featured in 16 games against Tampa Bay. He caught 114 passes (most against the Bucs) for 1,841 yards (most ever against the Bucs) and 11 touchdowns (agonizingly close to the most ever against the Bucs).
Did Julio Jones almost team up with Aaron Rodgers?
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier this week that Jones also drew interest from Aaron Rodgers' Green Bay Packers.
The Bucs, however, turned out to be the most aggressive in pursuit of the 33-year-old.
Jones' gravity alone should make the one-year deal worth it, especially as it serves as a layer of protection for Evans and Godwin (when he returns).
At 33 years old, Jones won't be the Bucs' first option, but after a lackluster stint with the Titans, a fresh start in Tampa Bay should work wonders for the future Hall of Famer.
There is some trepidation about his fit with the Bucs. But if Brady managed to strike up a rapport with Antonio Brown in the middle of the 2020 season, what he manages to do with Jones after six weeks of practice will be interesting, to say the least.
