JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Calvin Ridley is headed out of Jacksonville and to the Jaguars’ biggest rival.
Ridley spurned the Jaguars in free agency on Wednesday afternoon signing with the Titans, a jolt to the franchise that was hoping to bring him back for a second season. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Ridley is getting a four-year deal worth $92 million, with $50 million of that in guarantees.
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The longer negotiations dragged on Wednesday, the further and further it got that he was heading back to Jacksonville. The Jaguars traded for Ridley at the deadline in 2022 while he was suspended. General manager Trent Baalke had spoken glowingly of Ridley after the season, saying that the team wanted him back. But the Jaguars wound up getting priced out of the bidding, much like they were a year ago in free agency with right tackle Jawaan Taylor.
With franchise tags and re-signings before the new league year opened, Ridley was the No. 1 target on the market.
Multiple media outlets reported that Ridley was New England’s top target, and that the Patriots had an offer out to the sixth-year player. But nothing materialized during the legal tampering period Monday and Tuesday, something that suggested Ridley wasn’t going to leave Jacksonville barring something significant. When the clock rolled past 4:01 and Ridley still hadn’t made it official, things have become a bit more concerning.
Tennessee is the reason why. The Titans presented Ridley with a deal that the Jaguars couldn’t — or wouldn’t — match. It’s a similar situation Jacksonville ran into last year with right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who the team wanted back but couldn’t afford once he got into free agency.
Since the Jaguars put the franchise tag on edge Josh Allen they were squeezed a bit with what they could do with Ridley. The trade with the Falcons for the then-suspended Ridley in 2022 said that they would have to give Atlanta a second-round pick if he re-signed with Jacksonville before the start of the new league year. Now, the Jaguars are on the hook to the Falcons for a third-round pick for Ridley. They sent Atlanta a fifth-round pick earlier for Ridley.