Julio Jones Wears Waffle House Cleats at Falcons Practice

Julio Jones just showed his love for one of the city of Atlanta's staples, as well as the state of [...]

By Brian Jones

Julio Jones just showed his love for one of the city of Atlanta's staples, as well as the state of Georgia. On Thursday, Jones decided to go with a different look when it comes to his footwear, sporting cleats that had the Waffle House logo on them. Waffle House is a restaurant established in Georgia and there over 2,000 locations in 25 states. The one thing that stands out about Waffle House is it's open 24/7, and one of the reasons why Jones could have been wearing the cleats is his nickname in high school was Waffle House since he was always open.

The move by Jones helps Waffle House in a big way because it's not free advertising and publicity among social media, but it's something the restaurant chain should capitalize on.

"The value of this kind of media could be upwards of a million dollars or more if Waffle House runs with it and even more if the nickname were to stick. The NFL isn't going to want this to happen again - without their cut - so Waffle House needs to get on this and stretch it out ... otherwise it will die out quickly and [the] value will be lost," Larry Weil, a sponsorship and engagement strategist, said to Fox Business.

Weil went on to say Waffle House isn't known for promoting their business through commercials and ads, but having Jones wear the cleats is big for them moving forward.

"The value of Julio Jones putting Waffle House on his cleats at practice is going to keep growing, especially if Waffle House leverages it. Waffle House is known for not advertising, which is unusual for a billion-dollar company, even if it is privately held. The company is based in Norcross, Georgia so the team, player and geography is like hitting the trifecta," said Weil.

It's not known how much Jones paid for the cleats, but he can definitely afford it. Jones recently signed a three-year, $66 million contract extension with a $25 million signing bonus. His base salary for 2019 will be $1.5 million but it will be at least $11 million each year including 2023 which is an option year.

Jones is considered by many as the best wide receiver in the NFL. In the last five seasons, Jones has recorded at least 83 receptions and 1,400 yards. He's led the NFL in receiving yards in 2015 and 2018.

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