Elijah Moore reacts after Falcons legend Julio Jones announces retirement

Elijah Moore never played with Julio Jones. The wide receiver has logged two years with the Cleveland Browns and two years with the New York Jets. However, he knows his history. When Julio Jones announced his retirement on April 4, Moore didn't waste any time to pay his respect.

Taking to Instagram in the evening of April 4, the wide receiver posted a picture of Jones hauling in a one-handed catch on his story. He didn't leave any words with it, but the picture alone said a lot.

Elijah Moore reacts to Julio Jones' retirement - Credit: Elijah Moore on Instagram

Julio Jones' retirement announcement came after a run of declining production. He logged his final 1000-yard season in the NFL in 2019 as a member of the Falcons. After 2019, his production continued to decline over the course of the next four seasons.

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He logged 74 yards and three touchdowns as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles in his final appearance in the NFL in 2023 and missed the 2024 season entirely. Jones played with Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Jalen Hurts and Ryan Tannehill between 2019 and the end of his career.

Julio Jones' retirement date holds significance

Jones at Cowboys at Eagles - Source: Getty

With Jones wrapping up his career half a decade after his final moments with Atlanta, there was some semblance of a question whether he would view himself as a Falcon for life.

However, Jones appeared to clear that up in his retirement video. According to Falcons media, the message he gave in a video on his app called "Squad" contained a reference to the city of Atlanta.

"I'm making this announcement today because of the city of Atlanta. Thank you, man. I appreciate y'all. It's nothing but love. I'm doing this on 404 day."

Not only did he namedrop the city, but he also painstakingly waited to make the announcement on 404 day, a local festival day in Atlanta.

As such, while he didn't do a one-day contract with the Atlanta Falcons to retire there, he did all he could to communicate his feelings for the city of Georgia.

The next question is whether he will make the Hall of Fame on his first try in half a decade.

About the author

Ian brings with him more than 6.5 years of sports writing experience to the Sportskeeda NFL team. He played offensive line in middle school and high school, and also made it to the top 0% matchmaking ranking in MUT play in Madden.

He possesses the quality of identifying unique story angles from quotes in press conferences, social media and interviews. He assimilates facts for his stories with a lawyer-like precision and verifies each and every piece of information.

Ian admires Peyton Manning for his ability to beat teams with his mind despite not being the best athlete, and is also a fan of Tom Brady. The Denver Broncos are his favorite team, and their Super Bowl 50 win in Manning’s last game is etched in his memory forever. Bill Belichick is his all-time favorite coach.

He has also grown to admire the Los Angeles Rams mainly because he and Cooper Kupp went to the same college, Eastern Washington University, with both finishing their college careers at the same time.

In his career so far, Ian has had the privilege of exclusively interviewing Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead, Kwity Paye of the Indianpolis Colts and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jamari Thrash. When not writing, he likes to play video games and be outdoors.

Know More

Falcons Nation! Check out the latest Atlanta Falcons Schedule and dive into the latest Falcons Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Akshay Saraswat