Bill Cowher: Patriots Would Be 'A Great Fit' For Julio Jones
BOSTON (CBS) -- Julio Jones wants out of Atlanta. Where he ends up is anyone's guess.
Hall of Fame coach and CBS analyst Bill Cowher has one place in mind that makes a whole lot of sense: New England.
"I know they're talking about it, and I'm looking at the New England Patriots," Cowher told CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "And they have, where they are right now with Mac Jones or Cam [Newton], I think that'd be a great fit for him."
With Jones -- a First Team All-Pro in 2015 and 2016, and a Second Team All-Pro from 2017-19 -- Cowher sees a player over 30 who could thrive under Bill Belichick.
"I've seen a lot of people later in their careers go to New England and flourish. It's well-documented," Cowher said. "They'd build something around him."
Jones, who turned 32 years old in February, played just nine games last season, as he dealt with a hamstring injury for most of the year. He caught 51 passes for 771 yards and three touchdowns, with the Falcons going 3-6 in those games. (They went 1-6 in their other seven games.)
In the six years prior, he averaged 104 receptions for 1,565 yards and six touchdowns per season with Atlanta. Overall in his career, he's caught 848 passes for 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns.
In eight career playoff games, he's caught 61 passes for 834 yards and six touchdowns. Twice in the playoffs he's topped 180 yards receiving with two touchdowns -- in a losing effort vs. San Francisco in the 2012 postseason, and in a victory in the 2016 NFC Championship Game vs. the Packers.
Jones has been the subject of countless trade rumors and reports all offseason, and he told Shannon Sharpe on live TV this week that he is "out" of Atlanta.
While the list of suitors won't be short, Cowher sees the Patriots as the ideal landing spot.
"He's still an Atlanta Falcon right now, but I don't know," Cowher said. "It just seems like it's not a bad fit."