The Calvin Ridley commerce was an train in endurance for the Atlanta Falcons. They obtained a fifth spherical decide final March after Ridley was reinstated from his suspension for playing, after which waited to see how the 2023 season would play out. Ridley, because it turned out, hit the markers essential to graduate a 2024 fourth spherical decide to a 3rd spherical choice, and the Falcons nonetheless had an opportunity to nab a second rounder from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Sadly for Atlanta, that relied on the Jaguars signing Calvin Ridley to an extension earlier than the brand new league yr, a clause I don’t assume Terry Fontenot shall be together with in any trades going ahead. The Jaguars predictably determined to pull issues out on that entrance after Ridley had a good-but-not-phenomenal first season in Jacksonville, hoping to maintain the gifted wideout round whereas additionally making certain they solely had to surrender a 3rd rounder for Ridley.
With the brand new league yr right here, the Falcons are certainly solely getting a 3rd spherical decide from the Jaguars. Considerably hilariously, the Jaguars really paid a worth for attempting to get too cute, and Ridley signed a blockbuster deal with the Tennessee Titans yesterday that can make him the brand new high goal for Will Levis.
From Atlanta’s perspective, that most likely helps take a number of the sting out of not getting a second rounder. It’s unattainable to know what number of groups had been in on a Ridley commerce post-suspension—we all know the Eagles had been earlier than the suspension—however I don’t get the sense that Fontenot was making the cope with excessive hopes that the Jaguars could be handing over that second rounder. He probably hoped the Jaguars would determine they couldn’t reside with out Ridley and couldn’t likelihood him attending to the open market, in fact, however the third rounder was a borderline lock if Ridley merely stayed wholesome. Getting a 3rd rounder and fifth rounder again for Ridley when it appeared apparent he was not going to play in Atlanta and the Falcons weren’t negotiating from a place of energy might not go down as an enormous win in your private scorebook, however at the very least it’s a stable return. The Falcons shouldn’t have any bother placing a further second-day choice to work for them this yr.
The Jaguars, in the meantime, bungled this badly. As Jaguars beat author John Shipley wrote, Jacksonville may’ve tagged Ridley and gotten away with not paying the second rounder. As an alternative, they couldn’t get a deal finished with move rusher Josh Allen and had been pressured to make use of the tag on him as a substitute, ready till the brand new league yr with Ridley and shedding him to a crew that was merely keen to pay him more cash. Jacksonville ended up giving up a 3rd and fifth spherical decide for one yr of Ridley, which isn’t a worth they wished to pay given the crew’s fortunes in that yr.
The true winner? Ridley, who earns an enormous deal and goes to a crew the place he’s going to be on the high of the meals chain, provided that DeAndre Hopkins goes to be 32 years outdated and Levis will certainly admire Ridley’s route-running wizardry. I’m completely satisfied for him, completely satisfied that the Falcons got here away with stable compensation for buying and selling him, and completely satisfied that Jacksonville’s try and play the deadline blew up of their face.