Report: Julio Jones was blindsided by Shannon Sharpe phone call

Julio Jones did something out of character last month when he revealed on live television that he wanted the Atlanta Falcons to trade him. As it turns out, the All-Pro wide receiver did not realize he was taking his trade request public.

Shannon Sharpe called Jones during FS1’s “UNDISPUTED” about two weeks ago and asked him if he wanted to remain with the Falcons. The Pro Bowler, who was on speakerphone, emphatically said, “I’m outta there man.” That was his first public admission that he wanted a trade after months of speculation. You can see the video here.

Many wondered if Jones did not realize he was on the air, and Albert Breer of The MMQB says he is certain that was the case. Breer wrote in his weekly column on Monday that he has it “on good authority that Jones had no clue he was on national TV.”

That makes perfect sense. The Falcons were actively working to trade Jones at the time and undoubtedly wanted the roughly $15 million in salary cap relief they got when they sent the 32-year-old to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. The situation was nothing like what Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are dealing with, which is the reason no one understood why Jones would complicate things by talking about it on the air.

It’s unclear if there was a misunderstanding or if Sharpe simply neglected to tell Jones he was on speakerphone during a live TV show. One recent report claimed the incident has become a mess for FOX. Technically, Sharpe may have broken a California law with the phone call.

While we don’t expect Jones to file a formal complaint against Sharpe, he probably is not happy.

This is the second major flub for Sharpe this year. He also recently embarrassed himself when he used a fake quote in an attempt to call out Kevin Durant.