Colts fans feel Pat McAfee’s Julio Jones pain after Titans trade

Though NFL insiders pegged the Indianapolis Colts as a destination for Julio Jones, they never really seemed like a real candidate to land the Falcons superstar.

After all, while the Colts had the requisite cap space to inherit Jones’ contract and have a legitimate need for a bonafide No. 1 wideout, this is precisely the type of move general manager Chris Ballard has avoided during his tenure.

With that in mind, we basically flushed our Jones-to-the-Colts dream down the toilet as soon as the trade saga began. All we were hoping for at that point was the seven-time Pro Bowler landing either outside of the conference or outside of Indianapolis’ division.

When the dust settled, we got neither, as the division-rival Titans, who were really the frontrunners to net Jones from the start, acquired him for a second-round pick.

It goes without saying that this is the worst-case scenario for the Colts, and former punter Pat McAfee spoke for the entire fanbase when he caught wind of the news.

Pat McAfee was distraught after the Titans acquired Julio Jones.

McAfee hit the nail right on the head here.

For starters, every team not named the Titans deserves criticism for not trading for Jones at this price (a second- and fourth-rounder). However, it’s especially difficult to justify Indy passing on this opportunity when they have questions at WR.

We understand Ballard wanting to preserve as much draft capital as possible, especially after he gave up what will likely be a first- and third-rounder for Carson Wentz, but, like McAfee said, you don’t know what all those picks will amount to in the NFL.

On the flip side, Jones has a decade’s worth of evidence that proves he’s the best receiver of his generation. Assuming the 32-year-old phenom has two or three more years of playing at a superstar level, the Titans got an absolute steal with this trade.

Ballard’s obsession with asseets is understandable as there isn’t a general manager who’s been better at drafting over the last five years. However, we are now in Year 5 (!) of his tenure. Since Indy’s championship window is just opening, fans have every right to be annoyed that he insists on hoarding draft picks and strictly abiding by the salary cap restraints while premier talents land with other contenders.

Like most fans in Indy, McAfee wanted Jones on the Colts the moment the longtime Falcon revealed on national television that he’d be playing elsewhere in 2021. Thanks to Ballard’s conservative nature, they’ll now have to watch Jones face the Colts twice a year.

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