The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a late-offseason splash in July, signing wide receiver Julio Jones after one year with the Titans for the big-time receiver.
Jones joins a wide receiver corps that already features Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Russell Gage, so his role is not yet clear. However, on a one-year, $6 million contract, it's a low-risk high-reward deal for the Buccaneers.
For the Buccaneers, this is becoming their MO. With Tom Brady as their quarterback, they seem to like keeping a prolific veteran receiver around. First it was Antonio Brown, now it's the much less drama-filled Jones.
Jones will be wearing No. 6 for the Buccaneers this year after wearing No. 85 throughout much of training camp, so look for where he lines up on the field to get a good idea of his role.
6?? @juliojones_11 pic.twitter.com/HG5G4KZpbu
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Simply put: Depth is a good thing. With Godwin coming off a torn ACL he received surgery for in January, signing Jones to a one-year deal worth $6 million is exactly the kind of move the Buccaneers have made since getting Brady in 2020.
Brown, for example, signed to a one-year deal with the Buccaneers in 2020 worth $1.66 million. In 2021, he was rewarded to a $3.1 million deal. Jones actually possibly has lower upside than Brown did at the time of signing, but his contract is, to some degree, a legacy contract that harkens back to when he was regularly the highest-paid receiver in the NFL.
Jones is coming off a 2021 with the Titans that was fraught with injury, which hindered him throughout the year. He caught just 31 passes for 434 yards and one touchdown. However, it's important to remember he's just two years removed from a 99-catch season for 1,394 yards.
At 33 years old, Jones and Brady could develop a connection. However, for the time being, he's likely fourth on the depth chart.
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Brady to Jones really only has a sample size of training camp, but they have generated some early hype.
It cannot be emphasized enough to not take training camp hype seriously, but if you are the overreacting type, well:
Tom Brady to Julio Jones is still crazy to see ??
(?? @Buccaneers) pic.twitter.com/7Q3HNJJVyj
Tom Brady ?? Julio Jones
This could be scary. @brgridiron
(via @Deacon_Schiele) pic.twitter.com/YH7AsYJ1AT
Those throws were early in camp, and they might be indicative of a better connection, but they're still not at game speed and that's important to remember.
"It's just a surreal moment," Jones said of taking the field with Brady at Bucs training camp. "It's amazing. I'm ready to go, though. At the end of the day, it's all about accountability. I have to be accountable for him, the team, everybody, right? With all that said and done, I've still got to come to work. I still have to put the work in."
Will that work pay off with a big season (and a big contract)? Only time will tell. But one thing is for certain: The Buccaneers aren't working with a lack of depth on their 2022 depth chart.