After a heartbreaking collapse down the stretch, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke is trying to build a contender for 2024. The first step in building a roster is identifying which free agents to keep, and there is a decent chance that wide receiver Calvin Ridley will be playing elsewhere next year. During a recent press conference, Baalke said that edge rusher Josh Allen will be back no matter what, but he did not make the same guarantee of Ridley.
When asked about the impending free agent wideout, Baalke noted that Ridley “did some awfully good things” but couldn’t commit to bringing him back.
“When you bring in somebody in that hasn’t been a part of football for over a year and a half, you gotta knock the rust off,” Baalke said. “He did that and, at times, he showed who he was and what he used to be and what he can be. The sky’s the limit…We would love to have Calvin back. We are going to work toward that. What that means is, I don’t know right now.”
Trent Baalke: “I Don’t Know” If Calvin Ridley Will Be Back
Based on this, it appears as though the Jaguars would like to retain Calvin Ridley, but it’s anything but a foregone conclusion. Ridley’s not good enough to receive a franchise tag or the transition tag, which means he will hit the open market if the two sides cannot come to terms before March. Ridley also isn’t the type of player you must retain at all costs, and Jacksonville knows just how easy it is to overpay receivers in free agency. With only $17.5 million in cap space and Josh Allen being the top priority, there is a very real chance Ridley prices his way out of Jacksonville.
Calvin Ridley is no superstar, but the 2023 season proved he still has some juice left in his tank. Maybe he never matches his 2020 output, but he still found a way to record 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns during his first season with the Jaguars. Now, with the rust sufficiently knocked off, he should have several suitors throughout the league.
Best Free Agent Destinations
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers hired Dave Canales due to his track record of fixing quarterbacks. Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield had the best years of their careers under Canales’ guidance, and now it’s Bryce Young’s turn. However, those two veterans could not have turned it around without help from their wide receivers. The Panthers have arguably the worst collection of pass-catching talent in the entire NFL, and Calvin Ridley would be a major upgrade. He wouldn’t fix the entire unit all by himself, but he’d be a good step in the right direction.
Buffalo Bills
Don’t look now, but the Buffalo Bills are in desperate need of some wide receivers. Stefon Diggs is possibly on the trade block, Gabriel Davis is a free agent, and there isn’t anyone else of note on the roster. If the team parts ways with Diggs, then Calvin Ridley could be a more cost-effective replacement. Nobody is saying Ridley is as good as Diggs in his prime, but the $96 million man is on the wrong side of 30 and didn’t do much of anything down the stretch. There is a very real chance that Ridley can match Diggs’ production at a fraction of the cost.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are in the AFC Championship Game, but they made it this far in spite of their wide receivers. Outside of Rashee Rice, every single receiver on the team has underperformed, and if Travis Kelce starts slowing down, Patrick Mahomes will need more help. Calvin Ridley is no Tyreek Hill, but he can catch the ball and make plays downfield. When Mahomes is your quarterback, that’s all it takes. The 2023 season showed that the present-day version of Calvin Ridley probably shouldn’t be the best option on a depth chart, but he’s more than capable of being a complementary guy for Rice and Kelce.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have a young star in Chris Olave, but the rest of the wide receiver depth chart leaves something to be desired. Michael Thomas never recaptured his old form, and Rashid Shaheed is better off as a depth player. The Saints always find a way to escape their self-imposed salary cap restrictions, but it’s hard to see them blowing big money on a top wide receiver free agent like Michael Pittman or Tee Higgins. Instead, they could go for a cheaper option like Calvin Ridley, since all they really need is another supporting receiver.
Dallas Cowboys
With Amari Cooper gone, CeeDee Lamb spent the past two seasons erasing all doubt about his ability to be the focal point of the passing attack. While Lamb can handle a high target share, Dallas needs to find somebody who can handle a modest workload. Age has finally caught up with Brandin Cooks, while Michael Gallup has never looked the same since his ACL injury all those years ago. Calvin Ridley would easily be the second-best receiver on this roster, and he might be the missing piece this team desperately needs to make a deep playoff run. Mike McCarthy will not survive another quick postseason exit, so the team should be all-in for 2024.
Main Photo: Andrew Nelles – USA Today Sports
