3 reasons the Jaguars should give Calvin Ridley an extension, 2 why they shouldn't
• Maybe the team should consider giving him an extension
• Here 3 reason why it's a good idea and 2 why it may not be
1. Calvin Ridley is the Jaguars best non-Trevor Lawrence player on offense
The Jaguars had a pretty good offense in 2022. They ranked 10th in both points scored and total yards. But instead of expecting the same group to be even better, the team's brass went after Calvin Ridley before last year's trade deadline.
While the Jags had to wait for Ridley to be reinstated, the investment paid off. Ridley has given the Jaguars' offense a new dimension and has Trevor Lawrence become a better player. In particular, his downfield game is much better.
Last year, Steezy Trev had a passer rating of 91.0 passer rating and a 48 percent completion rate in downfield throws. It's a small sample but in one game throwing to Calvin Ridley, those numbers have gone up to 154.4 and 73 percent respectively.
🌟 Calvin Ridley & Year 3 Trevor Lawrence effect
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) September 13, 2023
Lawrence had a 154.4 passer rating on downfield throws (10+ air yards) in Week 1 for 73% completion rate.
In 2022, Lawrence had 91 passer rating and 48% completion rate on 10+ yard passes.
📈 early Jaguars offense pic.twitter.com/Wvg28Qe8kj
Of course, it's unrealistic to expect Ridley to get eight catches in every game but it's clear his presence had made an already explosive offense even better, and that's the thing.
As great as Christian Kirk and Zay Jones have been since they signed with the Jags last year, neither one is the playmaker Ridley is. It's true that Kirk logged over 1,000 yards in 2022 but having Ridley in the mix allows him to line up in the slot, where he's the most effective. Similarly, Jones is better suited for a WR2. It's hard to tell how he would fare as the No. 1 on the Jags' offense.
There are many valuable playmakers on the Jaguars offense but none may be more important than Ridley.