Getty Jerod Mayo could bring in Calvin Ridley after missing on Mike Evans.
So much for the New England Patriots snagging wide receiver Mike Evans and quarterback Baker Mayfield from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Evans re-signed with the Buccaneers on Monday, which means Mayfield staying looks inevitable. Nonetheless, the Patriots have another “best bet” option at wide receiver in free agency, and New England still has options at quarterback with the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft.
CLNS Patriots beat writer Taylor Kyles suggested Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley as “probably their best bet” in free agency. Ridley isn’t on the same level as Evans, but the former second team All-Pro can produce, and Kyles noted that Ridley will “add explosiveness without sacrificing size” to the Patriots receiving corps.
“He won downfield outside and in the slot, worked the sideline well on back shoulder fades, and has more YAC ability than he could show as … the Jags’ primary X,” Kyles wrote.
If the #Patriots want to add explosiveness without sacrificing size, Calvin Ridley is probably their best bet
He won downfield outside and in the slot, worked the sideline well on backshoulder fades, and has more YAC ability than he could show as a the Jags’ primary X
In five seasons, Ridley has 324 receptions for 4,358 yards and 36 touchdowns. Ridley has a career average of 13.5 yards per reception and two 1,000-yard seasons in the past three seasons he’s played.
He missed the 2022 season due to a suspension over sports gambling. The Atlanta Falcons, which drafted Ridley in 2018, traded him to the Jaguars in 2022. Ridley tallied 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns for the Jaguars in 2023.
While Ridley made $11.11 million with the Jaguars in 2023, he could command more on the open market. Spotrac projects Ridley to make $17.5 million annually or the equivalent of a four-year, $70.34 million deal.
New England has money to spend with $89.9 million in salary cap space. The Patriots can easily pay Ridley, especially if the team takes a rookie quarterback in the NFL Draft next month.
Patriots Fans Need Not Worry About Calvin Ridley’s Past
#Jaguars legend Fred Taylor added to the Calvin Ridley discourse during The Drill:
“I think he has a lot more juice left in him.”
Amid Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte‘s off-field gambling case, it’s reasonable for Ridley’s past choices to cause concern.
Ridley owned his mistakes in a March 2023 article with The Players’ Tribune. He explained his difficult upbringing, how football has impacted his life, what brought him to gambling, and his resolution going forward.
“Right now, I feel stronger than I’ve ever felt — mentally and physically,” Ridley wrote. “On the field, I’m flying. Believe me, I’m flying. That GPS band don’t lie.”
“I know I have a debt to pay back to the game. But when y’all talk about the name Calvin Ridley in 10, 20, 30 years … I’m gonna make sure it rings out for the right reasons,” he added.
New England Was ‘Hoping to Land’ Mike Evans: Report
The Patriots made a run at Evans that didn’t get as far as the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes last summer, but New England had Evans “on their free agent WR board” according to sources via The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
New England wasn’t alone among the teams “hoping to land him in free agency” this year. Russini noted, via sources, that the Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers, Jaguars, and Falcons all had interest.
Evans agreed to a two-year, $52 million deal with the Buccaneers for 2024.