By Conor Perrett
After getting banned for a full season earlier in the year for betting on a Falcons versus Jaguars game, Calvin Ridley is coincidentally going from one of those teams to the other.
Would anyone other than Calvin Ridley have bet on that?
Calvin Ridley 2021 stats: Position: Wide Receiver, Receptions: 31, Yards: 281, Average: 9.1, Touchdowns: 2, PFF Grade: 64.2
Trade Details:
Jaguars Receive: Calvin Ridley
Falcons Receive:
- 2024 2nd-Round Pick
- 2023 5th Round Pick (Maximum)
Jaguars POV:
Jacksonville never fails to impress by trading for a player who is banned for the season. The last time we saw Ridley play was back in Week 7 of 2021 and it would be nearly a whole two years from that date until he plays again.
It’s a risky move from the Jaguars, especially giving up a second-round pick, but it could turn out to be a high reward.
Ridley has the potential to be a No. 1 receiver,and the Jaguars have already heavily invested in that position. They signed Christina Kirk and Zay Jones to big deals and already had Marvin Jones in place. They now spend a potentially high second-round pick on a receiver who wouldn’t have played for two years and is going into the final year of his contract.
I get taking advantage of a rookie quarterback contract, but splashing it all on high risk receivers doesn’t seem sensible. The Jaguars are 2-5 with many holes on their team and if Ridley doesn’t pay off, it will only create more problems for them later down the line.
Grade – C
Falcons POV – The relationship between Ridley and the Falcons went completely down a high-hill last season when Ridley wanted to take a step away from football for personal matters. Since then Ridley found himself in the betting situation and got himself banned for the entire 2022 season.
Ridley, who was already on the trade block then had to wait for his move until his suspension was over. Well, now both parties got what they wanted with them parting ways.
During the incidents of last season, Ridley was valued as a second-round pick. But with a year on from not seeing him on the football field, you might think that his value would have only decreased. That is not the case as the Falcons managed to get that second round pick along with a Day 3 pick as well.
With the risk that comes with Ridley, the compensation that Atlanta has received seems like great draft capital for a player who didn’t fit their system or want to play for them again. It allows them to continue their rebuild, grab amazing draft capital, free cap space and not lose anything that they didn’t already have.
Grade – A
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