Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones finally landed a new contract last week, but he did not exactly live up to the deal in the season opener, catching six passes for 31 yards and a touchdown in an anemic 28-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

But Jones says he will be better against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

“I was ready to go. My wind is there, no question,” said Jones, according to Matt Winkeljohn of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “… I’ll be way better this week for sure.”

It should be noted that Jones was experiencing what the team called “soreness” in practice last week, and Jones said he went into Week 1 “limited,” but Jones says his lack of an extension throughout most of the summer was not a major issue.
RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, former NFL head coach Bill Belichick, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft

Preston Byers ·

Atlanta Falcons GM Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris

Sonny Giuliano ·

Cam Newton stands next to Falcons' Kirk Cousins after NFL free agency contract

Christopher Smith ·

“One thing for me is just being out there with my guys, just repetition more and more and more,” Jones said. “It kind of hindered that, but other than that, it wasn’t a distraction to nobody or anything like that.”

Jones, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was originally selected by the Falcons with the sixth overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Since then, Jones has consistently been one of the best wide outs in the league, making six Pro Bowl appearances while earning a couple of First-Team All-Pro selections.

The 30-year-old is coming off of a spectacular 2018 campaign in which he led the NFL with 1,677 receiving yards, hauling in 113 receptions while scoring eight touchdowns.

Atlanta hopes to get that version of Jones in Week 2.