The Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday formally announced the signing of veteran wide receiver Julio Jones to a one-year deal. Jones decided to pick the Buccaneers over other offers because the team gives him the best chance to win a Super Bowl, something that his Hall of Fame-bound career lacks. Jones also joins a Buccaneers squad that has two of the best wide receivers in the game in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. “Nobody's going to give us anything. So we've just got to come out here and work each and every day. That's all it's about,” said Jones, referring to the Buccaneers’ wide receiver situation.
Before signing Jones, the Buccaneers already have Evans, Godwin, free-agent signing Russell Gage, Tyler Johnson, Breshad Perriman and Scotty Miller. The Buccaneers also recently signed tight end Kyle Rudolph to a one-year contract following the retirement of Rob Gronkowski.
Brady called Jones several times
Jones also admitted that Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady called him several times about joining the squad after he was released by the Tennessee Titans in the offseason. At first, Jones said he joked Brady if there’s available space for a wide receiver in Tampa Bay, given their current wideout situation. After that, Jones said Brady remained in touch and talked several times. “It wasn't really about coming to Tampa.
We were just communicating, feeling each other out, I guess,” he added. Jones said he’s also excited to play alongside Brady, calling the quarterback a great guy. "Tom's a great guy, man -- who you want to be leading your ballclub, who you want to play for," he stressed. Jones also said that he never imagined joining forces with Brady, who led the New England Patriots to a comeback win over the wide receiver’s Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
Discussing that bitter loss, Jones said that was in the past and he’s looking forward to be part of something special with the Buccaneers. In his 11-year career, the 33-year-old Jones had 879 receptions for 13,330 yards and 61 touchdowns in 145 games with the Falcons and the Titans.
Bucs enjoy clean bill of health
Per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles gave a positive assessment at the start of the 2022 training camp.
"Everyone's here," Bowles said following the team's first camp practice on Wednesday. Bowles noted that every player on the 90-man camp roster reported on Tuesday, while almost all of them were fully cleared for practice the following day. Those who received clearance for practice include outside linebacker Lavonte David, safety Antoine Winfield, Jr., inside linebacker Grant Stuard, kicker Ryan Succop and wide receiver Russell Gage. The Buccaneers also did not place Godwin on the active/PUP list, meaning he can join parts of training camp, including walk-through.
