If you're looking for an unofficial Julio Jones spokesperson on the Titans, A.J. Brown is your man. The third-year wide receiver publicly campaigned for Jones' acquisition well before Sunday's agreement between Atlanta and Tennessee, then took credit for "recruiting" the 10-year veteran to the Titans. Now, Brown's chimed in on Julio's future jersey number, as he currently wears the No. 11 Jones has worn for his entire NFL career. As Titans.com's Jim Wyatt noted, Brown told reporters Sunday that a potential number change is already "in the works" as he looks to accommodate his new teammate.
"I'm in the works," Brown said. "I'm in the works with -- working with (coach Mike) Vrabel about something, about the number. I tried to switch to No. 1, (but) it didn't go through ... But I'm trying to be a good teammate and look out for him and, you know, let him go out on the right foot. But we'll see ... All the jersey purchases should stop for a while. Just give it like a month until we find out what's going on."
In other words, don't count on Brown rocking No. 11, which he's worn since entering the NFL in 2019, this season. Jones hasn't spoken publicly since reports first surfaced that he'd been dealt to Tennessee, let alone made any jersey number requests, but he'll presumably want to keep No. 11 with the Titans. No. 1, for reference, which Brown said he attempted to switch to, is currently retired by the Titans in honor of former Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon.
The other numbers retired by Tennessee that may have otherwise been options for Brown -- or Jones, for that matter -- are No. 9, for Steve McNair; No. 27, for Eddie George; No. 34, for Earl Campbell; and No. 43, for Jim Norton.