Getty Calvin Ridley #18 of the Atlanta Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons are sending their former 2018 first-round pick, Calvin Ridley, to the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to multiple reports.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Falcons will receive “complex draft compensation that can be worth at maximum a 2023 5th rounder and a 2024 2nd rounder” in return.
Rapoport later added, “if he gets reinstated bye a date, it’s worth a 2023 5th, otherwise it’s for a 6th. If he makes the team in 2024, it’s at least a 4th. If he hits play-time milestone, it’s a 3rd. If Jax get a long-term done, it’s a 2.”
This time last year, Ridley stepped away from football to deal with mental health issues.
Ridley was then suspended from the 2022 season following a league gambling investigation. He is eligible for NFL reinstatement on February 15, 2023.
In his four-year career in Atlanta, Ridley logged 248 passes for 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Falcons Had Previous Plans to Trade Ridley to Philly
The Falcons almost had a deal done to trade away Calvin Ridley before he was suspended from the league for a year due to gambling.
According to a report from Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer on Thursday, March 10, the Philadelphia Eagles were Atlanta’s trade partner, who were really confused when the Falcons backed out without an explanation.
Yup, Eagles almost had deal done for Calvin Ridley last month… Falcons backed out but weren’t able to tell Eagles why. They actually handled it great and after a lot of confusion Philly respected them for how they handled a very different situation. Eagles swung away @NFLonFOX
Philly received some closure on March 7 when the news broke about Ridley’s suspension and “respected” Atlanta for how they handled the situation, per Glazer.
The same day, the Falcons released a statement on Ridley which said that they “were first made aware of the league’s investigation on Feb. 9,” thus putting any possible trade deal on the back burner until the conclusion of the investigation.
The league said in a statement that the bets took place during a five-day period in November 2021, after he had announced his decision to step away from football for his mental well-being on October 31.
According to a report from CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, Ridley was caught because “he placed a legal mobile bet in Florida with Hard Rock. They notified Genius Sports, who oversees betting integrity for the NFL.”
Jones added, “Ridley placed 3, 5 and 8 game parlay bets that did include the Falcons [to win].”
In the end, it all worked out for Ridley and the Falcons.
The Falcons saved $11.116 million in salary cap and Ridley, a Ft. Lauderdale native, got to return home––what he wanted in the first place.
Never Say Never
The Falcons were set to have a quiet day, as reported by almost if not all insiders.
They’re in first place in the NFC South as a rebuilding team. It would be shocking if they won the Super Bowl, but hey, never say never.
They also have a lot of money to spend, if they wanted to target someone before the trade deadline as the team currently sits at over $9 million in cap space (OverTheCap.com).
But despite a depleted secondary, they didn’t necessarily need anyone.
“If the opportunity is right, great,” Smith said earlier in the week, via The Athletic. If somebody gives you an offer you can’t refuse, like the old Don Corleone (line), you listen. It just depends on what situation shows up. Everybody is looking for a deal.”
Instead, the Falcons did what nobody reported on and traded away their sitting duck wide receiver for even more draft picks, which will help them continue to build an empire in the long run.
Smart move, Terry Fontenot.