Titans release Julio Jones after 1 season

The Tennessee Titans released Julio Jones one year after acquiring the wide receiver in a highly touted trade with the Atlanta Falcons, the team announced Thursday.

The Titans cut Jones with a post-June 1 designation, saving $11.5 million in cash and salary-cap space, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The designation will leave $8.4 million in dead money for Tennessee in 2022 and 2023.

Jones finished the 2021 season with 31 receptions for 434 yards and a touchdown, marking the least productive campaign of his NFL career. He suited up for 10 games, missing extended time with hamstring injuries for a second consecutive year.

The Titans acquired Jones from Atlanta last June for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick. But the 33-year-old landed in head coach Mike Vrabel's doghouse early in the season and never seemed to fully recover; he was absent from the field late in several games.

Jones enjoyed a decorated career with the Falcons, who drafted him sixth overall in 2011. He made seven Pro Bowls while with Atlanta and is the franchise's all-time leading receiver with 12,896 career yards.

Jones' reported release leaves A.J. Brown atop Tennessee's depth chart at wide receiver, with a slew of less established names below him.