Former Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley quickly finding out grass isn't greener with Titans

Wide receiver Calvin Ridley spent the 2023 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and came close to re-signing with them in free agency. However, the Tennessee Titans swooped in and made him an offer he couldn't refuse to cross enemy lines. The Alabama product took the money and seemed thrilled to join his new team. Unfortunately, he's probably second-guessing the decision now.

Tennesse lost to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6. Ridley was targeted eight times on 21 routes and ended the game with zero catches for no yards. He sounded off after the loss, pointing out that the Titans cannot wait until the fourth to get him involved.

"I need some in the beginning of the [expletive] game too. [expletive] is getting crazy for me," Ridley told reporters when someone pointed out that he didn't have a single reception in spite of being targeted eight times. Here's the clip of his exchange with the media, via AtoZ Sports Nashville.

In Ridley's defense, many of the passes thrown his way were severely off-target. Here's a look at all eight of them.

Heading into the game, head coach Brian Callahan took the blame for not getting his No. 1 receiver more involved in the game plan.

"I gotta do a better job of finding ways to get Calvin Ridley the ball, Callahan said, via The Coachspeak Index on Twitter. "I need to use his speed and explosiveness more. Just get in his hands, every which way we can. That's on me to get him in those spots where he can get the ball more."

For the season, Ridley has hauled in nine catches for 141 yards with one touchdown in six games. It also doesn't help that sophomore quarterback Will Levis has been inconsistent.

Calvin Ridley is surely second-guessing the decision to leave the Jaguars

A first-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2018, Ridley quickly became one of the most prominent players in the league, hauling in 210 receptions for 3,061 yards with 26 touchdowns. But despite his early success in the NFL, the Florida native abruptly stepped away from football in 2021. At the time, he cited his mental health as the reason but later revealed that he was playing with a broken foot.

During his retirement, late in 2021, Ridley earned an indefinite suspension for betting on football games. But despite the suspension, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded for him in 2022 in exchange for a series of conditional draft picks that depended on reaching certain incentives.

Ridley was reinstated in 2023 and wasted no time joining his new team. He went on to haul in 76 receptions for 1,016 yards with eight touchdowns in his lone season in Jacksonville. On top of that, he drew a league-high seven defensive pass interference flags. On the other hand, the veteran wideout had several costly drops.

All things considered, Ridley had a solid year with the Jags, which is why the team's brass wanted to bring him back. The trouble is that they would've had to give Atlanta a second-round pick, as one of the conditions of the trade if they had re-signed him before the start of free agency.

Not wanting to part ways with a premium selection, the front office let Ridley walk in free agency. Still, Jacksonville had to part ways with a third-rounder because he reached certain playing conditions in 2023.

One reason the Jaguars allowed Ridley to hit the open market was that there was mutual interest in him returning. While the New England Patriots made a bid, he made it clear that he wanted to come back to Jacksonville, but in the 11th hour, he bolted for Tennesse.

Ridley was upfront when he said that he signed with the Titans because they offered him more money, a four-year deal worth $92 million. However, another reason was that they promised to get him the ball, something he doesn't think always happened in his prior spot. Fast forward to Week 6, and that hasn't been the case.

Maybe Calvin Ridley will get a bigger role down the stretch, but it's fair to say that things aren't going the way he envisioned. Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Jaguars found a more than capable replacement that made them quickly forget him.

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