Getty Calvin Ridley #18 of the Atlanta Falcons carries the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In Week 8 of the 2021 season, Atlanta Falcons star wide receiver, Calvin Ridley, decided to step away from football––citing mental health as his reasoning.
After no update from Ridley following the conclusion of the season, it has been projected that the Falcons will be looking to trade the All-Pro wideout.
And Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports has the Philadelphia Eagles listed as the No. 1 landing spot for Ridley.
General manager Howie Roseman is as eager to trade as anyone, especially when the target is a potential long-term weapon. Better yet, Philly is on the verge of contending, and Ridley played with both QB Jalen Hurts and fellow WR DeVonta Smith at Alabama. The Eagles are also loaded with draft capital.
Benjamin also names the Dolphins, Bears, Patriots, Browns, 49ers, Jaguars, Raiders and Colts as other potential trade partners.
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Vetted Analyst Suggests Ridley Wants Out
NFL Network’s Steve Wyche joined The Dukes & Bells podcast where he gave his best-educated guess on the potential fate of the Falcons’ top wide receiver.
When asked if Ridley’s future with the team is in jeopardy, Wyche did not hesitate:
“Yeah, I would think so,” he said. “I don’t know everything that’s going on here, but for him not to service and for the team not to say anything about him all season long..leads me to believe that at some point maybe his side is like ‘he needs a fresh start’ or the Falcons might be like, ‘hey, we need a fresh start.’ It would be hard to think with everything this team is trying to do…with new leadership and everything…
Maybe if it was a Pittsburgh situation and Arthur Smith had been the coach here for 7 or 8 years, then maybe they would say ‘okay, we can bring him back.’ But I think because they’re trying to start new and to get things going, that at some point, there will be some type of parting––that’s my best guess.
I don’t know if that’s going to happen but yeah, this is the type of scenario where I think it’s going to be a fresh start for him someplace else.”
Asked if Calvin Ridley’s future with the Falcons is in jeopardy @wyche89 tells @MikeBellATL & @putemupcdukes “I’d think so. The fact that he and the team have been so quiet and he hasn’t surfaced, it appears like both sides could be looking for a fresh start.” #dirtybirds
The Falcons Could Use More Draft Capital
After Week 8’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Falcons placed him on the non-football injury list, which kept him sidelined for at least three weeks. But, he never returned and finished the 2021 season with 31 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns.
The Falcons’ offense clearly struggled with the lack of reliable receivers for Matt Ryan after they fell short of the postseason for the fifth-straight year. They will need to address the issue with or without the return of Ridley.
However, the WR position is not the only position the Falcons need to address, in fact, their list of needs runs deep. Trading Ridley away in exchange for draft capital could be their best bet to get their team back on track to being playoff contenders.
So, if the Eagles are up for a blockbuster trade with plenty of picks to throw Atlanta’s way, the Falcons should move on from Ridley.