NFL officially reinstates Jacksonville Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley: 3 immediate takeaways

There has been no shortage of news in the NFL Monday. Earlier today, the New Orleans Saints signed Derek Carr to a four-year deal worth $150. For a hot moment, it looked like that was going to be the biggest news of the day but then the league announced that they’ve fully reinstated Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley after serving an indefinite suspension for betting on NFL games.

The NFL announced they’ve lifted the suspension they imposed on Ridley in March of last year. At the time of the news, he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons, so it didn’t seem like it would have a direct impact on the Jags. However, general manager Trent Baalke turned heads when he traded for him. The Falcons originally got a fifth-round pick in 2023 and a conditional fourth in 2024. However, that fourth could turn into a third or maybe a second rounder depending on certain factors.

• If Ridley remains on the Jaguars’ roster this season, which is likely, it’ll remain a fourth-round selection.
• If he reaches certain incentives, the fourth-rounder will become third.
• And if Ridley signs a contract extension in Jacksonville, it will then be a second-round selection.

Ridley was a 2018 first-round pick by the Falcons and he quickly became one of the most dynamic receivers in the NFL, catching 217 passes for 3,061 receiving yards in his first three NFL seasons. However, he saw a decrease in production in 2021 and suddenly retired in the middle of the season, citing mental health as the main reason.

During his suspension, the NFL was made aware that Ridley was betting on football games, which prompted the league to suspend him indefinitely. It took a while for the NFL to lift the suspension but he’ll now join a wide receiver corps that include Zay Jones and Christian Kirk.

Here are three immediate thoughts following the NFL’s decision to reinstate the new member of the Jaguars’ wide receiver corps.