The news of Julio Jones being traded to the Titans has been followed by an avalanche of reports with enlightening information. Jeff Schultz of The Athletic made a point about Jimmy Sexton, who is both Arthur Smith and Jones’ agent, stating Smith knew the superstar receiver was unhappy before he agreed to take the job in Atlanta.
Arthur Smith's agent is Jimmy Sexton.
Julio Jones' agent is Jimmy Sexton.
Smith was fully aware Jones was not happy before he agreed to take the Falcons' job.@TheAthletic https://t.co/5v5tWHk4Ex— Jeff Schultz (@JeffSchultzATL) June 6, 2021
Not that this is a revelation in the story, but it is telling that Smith went ahead with the job after finding this news out. It should never affect a candidate’s decision that a player on the team is disgruntled and wants out because, at that point, they aren’t the right person for the job. Smith accepted the job because of Arthur Blank, Matt Ryan, how the organization is run, and the control given to him.
When reading this tweet from Schultz, the question that comes to my mind is what Smith told Terry Fontenot. The conversations the two must’ve had before news of a possible trade broke would be incredible to hear, but they both had to have known that Jones was uneasy about being in Atlanta if Smith was aware. Jones was always going to get traded, and the new regime did a masterful job doing it in a classy way to respect both the fans, Julio Jones, and the organization as a whole.
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