Falcons WR Julio Jones Reportedly Could Miss Rest of 2013 Season with Foot Injury

Oct 7, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) gains extra yards after a catch in the first half against the New York Jets at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE #2: Head Coach Mike Smith announced during the 2:30 pm press conference (see below) that Julio Jones will be seeking a 2nd opinion tomorrow in Charlotte. No announcement of season-ending injury to this point.

UPDATE: D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC brought this update on the Jones situation, stating that the team would have a 2:30 press conference to presumably announce the end of Jones’ season.

Well, this was not the way that the already-depressed Atlanta sports community needed to start their Tuesday afternoon.

There you have it. Julio Jones, arguably a top-5 wide receiver in the NFL and Matt Ryan’s most dangerous weapon (with his 41 catches, 580 yards, and 2 touchdowns this season), could miss the rest of the season if FOX’s Jay Glazer is right (and he usually is). It’s quite unclear as to what the actual injury is, but for it to be a season-long ailment, it would almost have to be a broken foot.

It’s very important to note that Glazer gives himself a backdoor on this one, with a second opinion in the works on Jones, but it isn’t exactly an optimistic view for the star receiver. Jones made play after play down the stretch during Monday night’s loss to the Jets, so he would have presumably been playing through severe pain, but if there is the potential for long-term damage, the Falcons would be backed into a corner and forced to shut him down.

As more information surfaces, we’ll be here to bring it to you, but for now, the outlook is exceedingly grim.