Julio Jones declines No. 11 from teammate A.J Brown

Having worn the No. 11 jersey throughout his decade-long career with the Atlanta Falcons, Julio Jones will be seen with a different number for the Tennessee Titans.

Brown ready to give up his number

Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J Brown was prepared to give up wearing his No. 11 jersey for a legend. Brown announced on Twitter that he, for his idol Julio Jones, will gladly give up his number.

"I'm in the works with -- working with (coach Mike) Vrabel about something, about the number," Brown said. "I tried to switch to No. 1, (but) it didn't go through. ... But I'm trying to be a good teammate and look out for him and, you know, let him go out on the right foot. But we'll see. ... All the jersey purchases should stop for a while. Just give it like a month until we find out what's going on."

Brown deserves some of the credit for the trade after the Titans got the Atlanta wide receiver. That's because Brown campaigned for more than a month, doing his best to coax Jones into Tennessee via social media.

In fact, Jones had previously said during his public recruiting of Julio Jones that he is prepared to sacrifice his number if a trade happens.

I would give up #11 if this happens. Playing alongside my idol would be crazy . No team is stopping this!!! https://t.co/2ZMQ1tCmBk

— AJ Brown (@1kalwaysopen_) April 28, 2021

Jones is prepared to take on a new number

Despite the gracious offer, Jones asked Brown to keep his number.

"#11 until I retire. I tried to give it up and he wouldn't take it. Respect," Brown wrote in a tweet.

#11 until I retire . I tried to give it up and he wouldn’t take it . Respect 🤝

— AJ Brown (@1kalwaysopen_) June 8, 2021

Jones wore No. 8 in college at Alabama and No. 82 at Foley High School. According to the Titans' roster, backup punter James Smith is No. 8, and wide receiver Fred Brown is No. 82.

In a tweet Tuesday night, the Titans confirmed that Jones would wear No. 2 for the upcoming season.

Looking forward to the future ✌🏾 pic.twitter.com/6PI4h8aKCJ

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) June 8, 2021

The Titans acquired Jones from the Falcons for a 2022 second-round pick and a swap of 2023 fourth- and sixth-round picks on Sunday. The move came through after trade rumors had been swirling around Jones for much of the offseason.

Once the news of the trade broke, Brown jokingly tweeted:

"I need my commission from them recruiting videos @Titans."

Later on Tuesday, Jones said adieu to Atlanta in an Instagram post. He wrote.

"Thank you, ATL, for all the love you've shown me over the years. It's been an incredible ten years playing for the city & all the fans. I appreciate everything you've done for me over the years & will never forget my time as an Atlanta Falcon."