Jaguars need to keep WR Calvin Ridley on the radar

The Jacksonville Jaguars need to bolster their wide receiver corps and with the talent well drying out in free agency, they should consider addressing the position via trade. If that’s the path they want to take, they need to give the Atlanta Falcons a call about Calvin Ridley.

Michelle Bruton of Bleacher Report recently talked about five NFL players that are the likeliest to be traded this offseason and Ridley popped up in the list. She points out that the Falcons are slated to be $4.7 million in the red in 2022 and believes that moving the wide receiver would help them get additional draft picks and give them a bit of financial relief.

Ridley retired hung up the cleats last October to focus on his mental health and if he wants to resume his NFL career, he may not do it in Atlanta. Steve Wyche of NFL Media said on 92.9 The Game that the wide receiver “could be looking for a fresh start” in 2022. Moreover, insider Mike Garofolo reported in the middle of January that there’s been little communication between Ridley and the Falcons and sees a trade as a realistic outcome.

A first-round pick by Atlanta in 2018, Ridley has participated in 49 games with 35 starts and hauled in 248 receptions for 3,342 with 28 touchdowns in the last four seasons. The Alabama product is set to count $11.1 against the Falcons’ cap and trading him would free up that amount without any dead money.

Why should the Jaguars trade for Calvin Ridley?

This year’s wide receiver market in free agency won’t be particularly vast. Michael Gallop and Chris Godwin suffered serious injuries late in the 2021 season and may not be ready to contribute by the start of the regular season, so the Jags may need to look elsewhere for help. They should consider a reunion with Allen Robinson but if he isn’t interested in returning to Jacksonville, their options will decrease considerably. That’s why they need to consider making a trade for Ridley.

The Jaguars have an extra third-round draft pick this year after trading C.J. Henderson to the Carolina Panthers last year. They could use it to put together a package to acquire Ridley. Now, this move comes with one caveat. The wide receiver will be in the fifth year of his rookie deal and will probably be looking for an extension, so Jacksonville’s front office needs to take that into account and see it as a long-term investment. It wouldn’t make much sense to pull off a trade only to let him walk out in 2023.

Working in the Jaguars’ favor is that they will have around $60 million in cap space in 2022, so they can easily make a competitive trade offer and give Ridley a multi-year contract. The team’s brass would even have enough money to re-sign Chark and other players deserving of a new deal.

Wide receiver is arguably the Jaguars’ most pressing need this offseason and by trading for Ridley, they would take care of it and give Trevor Lawrence another weapon.