Jaguars Trade For Calvin Ridley
NFL Week 8 - The Jacksonville Jaguars are trading for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley, as first reported by 1010 XL's Mia O'Brien.
Ridley is currently suspended indefinitely by the league for gambling on NFL games during his leave of absence from the 2021 NFL season. Additional reporting from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport describes Jacksonville acquired Ridley "in exchange for complex draft compensation that can be worth at maximum a 2023 5th rounder and a 2024 4th rounder." Rapoport adds that Ridley's reinstatement by a certain date turns the pick from a 2023 sixth-round pick into a 2023 fifth-round pick.
The 2024 selection has a much wider range of outcomes, becoming a fourth-round pick if he makes the team, a third-round pick after certain playing-time milestones, and a second-round pick if the Jaguars sign him to a long-term contract.
In his three full seasons with the Falcons, Ridley has never finished worst than 21st in DYAR (2018) and 27th in DVOA (2020). In 2019, Ridley finished as one of the best receivers in the league, finishing second in DVOA (30.6%) and fifth in DYAR (310), while 2020 saw Ridley finish sixth in the league in receiving yards while also scoring nine touchdowns.
In 2021, Ridley played just five games before taking a leave of absence to focus on his mental health. The NFL later announced in March 2022 that Ridley was suspended indefinitely with a minimum of one year for betting on NFL games, including his own team. Ridley was forced to hand over all $11.1 million of his 2022 base salary, making him a dead cap hit of $0 if the Jaguars elect to cut him, per OverTheCap.
Comments
9 comments, Last at 02 Nov 2022, 2:23pm
#4 by Spanosian Magn… // Nov 01, 2022 - 5:26pm
Man, I remember watching the Jags just annihilate the Chargers to go to 2-1, and thinking "Wow, they turned the corner! Trevor Lawrence is breaking out!" Turns out, not so much.
Maybe Ridley thinks his presence would make up that one score they keep losing by. That'd be a heck of a bet on himself. Hey, we all know how much he likes betting.
#6 by KnotMe // Nov 01, 2022 - 7:03pm
I'm not really sure the Jags are good org to bring in headcase WRs. The cost is so low I guess you can't hate it, but doesn't seem like it has much chance of working even for how much these things have a chance of working.
#7 by TimK // Nov 02, 2022 - 3:09am
Hope Ridley pulls himself around. Have some sympathy given that he reportedly only bet whilst he was on his mental health furlough, and so not being involved actively in the game at the time (he might even have done it partly to feel more involved?). The amount of gambling sponsorship the league has now also makes a permanent ban for something like that seem hypocritical even by the standard of NFL enforcement.
Mental health is a pernicious thing, and unlike a torn ACL doesn’t have either a simple diagnosis nor a known recovery path. Presumably this means that he is closing on some level of recovery, hopefully that can continue.