Pat McAfee sends off Julio Jones with a special tribute on his show

Ex-NFL punter Pat McAfee paid tribute to Julio Jones on his eponymous show following the former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver announcing his retirement on Friday.

McAfee — host of "The Pat McAfee Show" — became a media personality after he retired from playing for the Indianapolis Colts. On the other hand, Jones wrapped up his 13-year NFL career, having represented the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philadelphia Eagles.

On his Monday broadcast, McAfee responded to Julio Jones's retirement announcement:

"Congratulations Julio on a hell of a run. Everybody that talks about him, says how great of a teammate he was; how great of a leader he was," McAfee said.

"Obviously he is a guy that is built differently than everybody else could have. One of the greatest catchers in the history of football but his team gave up the biggest lead in the history of the Super Bowl. So whenever you talk about Julio Jones, you talk about a physical specimen that changed games that everybody loved."

Jones made his retirement official on the social media platform Squad, where he broke into tears and expressed gratitude to Atlanta. His Friday (4/04) retirement date was also a gesture honoring the Atlanta area code, indicating that he still has ties to the city despite their tie ending in contentious terms in 2021.

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Julio Jones's dismal Super Bowl loss

Julio Jones in his final NFL season, where he represented the Philadelphia Eagles. (Credits: IMAGN)

Julio Jones's combination of abilities assisted in making what many people believe was the most incredible acrobatic catch in Super Bowl history. Jones made this astonishing play in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots.

He jumped over cornerback Eric Rowe, caught the ball at a high angle, landed on his left foot, touched the right toe inbounds, and rolled to cover the ball. Sadly, this dazzling catch was overshadowed by Atlanta's historic collapse from a 28-3 lead (Super Bowl 2017)

Julio Jones retires 16th all-time in NFL receiving yards, ahead of any active player. His credentials include two league-leading receiving years, two first-team All-Pro selections, and seven Pro Bowl appearances.

Jones's retirement notice reflected his long-standing love for Atlanta even after they split in 2021:

"I'm announcing this today because of the city of Atlanta," Julio Jones said. "Thank you man, I appreciate y'all. It's nothing but love. I'm doing this on '404 Day.' It was a hell of a ride."

The path to the receiver started at Alabama with Nick Saban, who assisted in building the groundwork for what would become the most dominant program in college football. The Atlanta Falcons subsequently traded five picks to jump 21 spots in the 2011 draft, choosing Julio Jones with the sixth overall selection.

The Falcons made the playoffs four times in their first seven years with Jones on the roster, ending with their Super Bowl appearance.