In a somewhat surprising move, the Tennessee Titans released WR Julio Jones on Wednesday. Dianna Russini and Adam Schefter had the news first.

The Titans sent the Atlanta Falcons second- and fourth-round draft picks in a trade for Jones last spring.

The Titans are planning on releasing WR Julio Jones, sources tell @AdamSchefter and me

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 16, 2022

Releasing him makes very little sense.

While releasing Jones will save Tennessee around $10 million against the salary cap in 2022, they won't get those funds until after June 1.

That means the Titans won't have anything extra to use during free agency. This move doesn't affect their capabilities over the next week at all.

Jones' release also creates a massive hole at wide receiver for the Titans.

It's important to note that Jones wasn't exactly a superstar for the Titans in his lone season with the team. He caught just one touchdown, amassed under 500 receiving yards and played in just 10 out of 17 games because of injury.

Still, having Jones around is better than not, especially when there's no significant financial advantage to moving on from him.

Now, the Titans' best receiving option behind stud WR A.J. Brown is probably Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. While Westbrook-Ikhine does some nice things, he is by no means an NFL No. 2 receiver, or even a No. 3.

Tennessee, with Jones headed out the door, finds itself in a pretty big trench at the receiver position during an offseason that the team has repeatedly professed its desire to use for getting better around QB Ryan Tannehill.

Moving on from Jones certainly won't help them accomplish that.

Releasing Jones isn't entirely without benefit. They can spread his cap hit over the next two seasons, and the post-June 1 money will give them some extra flexibility during the summer and throughout the season.

But those benefits pale in comparison to having Jones, regardless of the shape of his hamstring, on the roster.

Cover image: George Walker IV/The Tennessean