3 players the Jacksonville Jaguars must target after 1st wave of free-agency frenzy

1. Calvin Ridley, wide receiver

The first day of the tampering period came and went and Calvin Ridley was away from the spotlight. While there were going to be a handful of teams interested in signing him, he didn't reach an agreement, so he's still available. This should be great news for the Jags, who were interested in bringing him back.

You could argue that Jacksonville is out of the Calvin Ridley sweepstakes after agreeing to a deal with Gabe Davis, but that's not necessarily the case. See, Davis got a somewhat affordable three-year deal worth $39 million. They're running out of cap space but they could release Zay Jones to make room for Ridley.

By moving on from Jones, the Jags would free up a bit over $4 million in cap space. That wouldn't be nearly enough to bring back Ridley but the front office could get creative and make it work. Another thing that could incentivize Jacksonville to bring back Ridley is that if he's unsigned by the official start of free agency on March 13, they will no longer have to give up their second-rounder.

As things stand, the Jags already owe the Atlanta Falcons after Ridley met playing conditions last year. As part of the trade they made in 2022, the third will become a second if they extend the former Alabama standout before free agency officially begins. While things could change at any time, it doesn't look like he's close to signing as of this writing.

Will it be costly to re-sign Ridley? Probably, but Trevor Lawrence would have no shortage of weapons, and the offense could once again be among the best in the league in 2024. That should be enough for the Jaguars to bring him back.

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