NFL NEWS | Jaguars make a deal with the Falcons to acquire the suspended nfl Calvin Ridley
At the trade deadline, the Jacksonville Jaguars acquired a wide receiver, but he won’t contribute until 2022 at the earliest.
On Tuesday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport announced that the Jaguars have acquired wide receiver Calvin Ridley from the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons will get two draft selections in the future depending on whether or not Ridley is reinstated, with the highest possible compensation being a fifth-round pick in 2023 and a second-round pick in 2024.
According to Rapoport, the 2023 fifth-round selection will drop to the sixth round if Ridley’s reinstatement is delayed until a specific date. With Ridley on the roster in 2024, the value of the second selection would increase to at least the fourth round. If the Jaguars sign Ridley to a long-term contract, the club will have to give up a second-round selection in 2024 and a third-round pick in 2020 if he reaches a certain number of playing minutes.
Since then, Jacksonville has confirmed the deal.
Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke remarked on the team’s website, “We are delighted to welcome Calvin Ridley to our organization and the Duval community.” “If we want to win in 2023 and beyond, we need to keep improving our team, and this is our chance to add a proven playmaker to our elite wide receiver corps. We want to finish the season strong and gradually include Calvin into the program.”
While on the non-football sickness list in 2021, Ridley is suspected of wagering on NFL games, which led to his suspension in March lasting until at least the 2022 season.
After February 15th, 2023, Ridley will be eligible to submit a reinstatement petition.
It’s a risky move, but the Jaguars wanted to find a receiver who could help create space for Trevor Lawrence, and this guy fits the bill. Despite the fact that it won’t assist the 2-6 Jaguars this year, in 2023, they’ll have a chance to get an outside threat that Doug Pederson’s team now lacks. The combination of the former first-round choice and Christian Kirk is promising, but the Jaguars should not be discouraged from drafting another wide receiver.
Even before the one-year ban, Ridley’s future in Atlanta was in doubt. The 27-year-old player said on October 31, 2021, that he was leaving the squad to concentrate on his “mental welfare.”
It was expected that the Falcons will trade Ridley before the 2023 draft due to head coach Arthur Smith’s preference for a run-first, run-second, and run-third system and the team’s investment in Drake London and Kyle Pitts. A bargain with Jacksonville presented itself on Tuesday that they just couldn’t refuse.
The ban will not affect Ridley’s ability to play on the fifth year of his rookie contract in 2023, which is valued $11.116 million.
