Alabama Legend Julio Jones Retires From NFL: The Crimson Tide and Atlanta Falcons all-time great wide receiver helped win Nick Saban’s first National Championship at Alabama and was also a seven-time NFL Pro Bowler.

Former Alabama and Atlanta Falcons legend Julio Jones retired from the NFL on Friday after more than a decade of dominance. Jones made the announcement on social media.

Jones quickly emerged as one of the best players in the NFL at his position, as he was named to his first Pro Bowl in his second season. Jones succumbed to a season-ending injury early in his third season, but he picked himself up and proceeded to make six-straight Pro Bowl appearances and two First Team All-Pro lists, leading the league in yards per game three times and was the NFL’s receiving yards leader in 2015 and 2018.

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban won six National Championships during his time in Tuscaloosa, with the first one coming in the 2009 season, which broke a 17-year dry spell.

There were several Crimson Tide greats on this roster, including Jones, who led the team in every receiving category as a sophomore. Jones became an Alabama all-time great the following season after practically doubling his numbers in every stat category, and his dominance helped him get selected by the Atlanta Falcons as the sixth overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Jones, who’s from Foley, Alabama, has remained close to his roots over the years and has helped the Crimson Tide out for quite some time. Last season, the then-35-year-old was a free agent and came to a couple of Alabama games. In October, Alabama wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard opened up about Jones and his impact on the program, especially during the Tide’s instant classic against Georgia.

“Love that guy, he’s awesome!” Shephard said. “I just respect him so much because he came to me and said ‘Hey coach, last game that I was here, I was on the verge of saying something to the guys to say certain things to them, but I refrained from it because I didn’t want to step on your toes.'”

“I made it extremely clear: ‘Julio, I played zero snaps in the NFL and you’re one of the greatest wide receivers that any of them have ever known. You’ve earned that right by what you did here at the University of Alabama and the NFL. You would actually be doing me a disservice by not talking to them. Whether it’s during, before or after the game, if you want me to be quiet, Julio, you got it.’ I just respect what he’s done and what he’s meant to this program. It was amazing just to meet him the first time because it’s Julio Jones, man. I used his film forever.”Jones is frequently mentioned by not just former Alabama players but also NFL greats as a role model to the game. For example, 11-time Pro Bowler and future first-ballot Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald called Jones “the best I’ve ever seen,” in 2019.