The Jacksonville Jaguars will not franchise tag wide receiver Calvin Ridley and that was one of the biggest trends on Twitter on Tuesday. Ridley was the number one wide receiver on the Jaguars a season ago. He was a big help to quarterback Trevor Lawrence last season.
It would be a big loss for the Jaguars offense if they weren’t able to re-sign him. Ridley is hitting the NFL free-agent market and there will be at least a few teams that will go after him. Calvin Ridley caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards receiving and eight touchdowns, along with averaging 13.4 yards per reception.
He was also targeted 136 times last season. If the Jaguars offense were to lose him, it would be a massive loss for this offense. They do have other nice pieces like Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, but Ridley is a true number-one wide receiver for any NFL team.
He had a nice year after being suspended for a full NFL season due to gambling. Calvin Ridley is 29 years old and was the 26th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. This is probably the only big contract that Ridley is going to get by either Jacksonville or another team. If the Jaguars do not re-sign him, which NFL team can sign?
It Would Be Gut-Wrenching If the Tennessee Titans Signed Calvin Ridley Away From the Jacksonville Jaguars
The Tennessee Titans have a new head coach this year and they will need to sign some offensive weapons for quarterback Will Levis. DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks are two of the top wide receivers on the roster. Signing Calvin Ridley would be a very nice boost for this offense and it would help Levis develop into a better quarterback.
This would hurt Jacksonville because Tennessee is in the AFC South division and they would have to see him twice a year. The Titans could back to the playoffs instantly with this move.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have no depth at the wide receiver position. Chicago needs another true number-one wide receiver whether it is for quarterback Justin Fields, quarterback Caleb Williams, or someone else at the quarterback position for 2024 and beyond.
The Bears top wide receiver last season was D.J. Moore. and there only other good receiving option on the roster is tight end Cole Kmet and also Darnell Mooney. Chicago could throw a ton of money at Calvin Ridley and he would be another nice option for this franchise.
New York Jets
Outside of Garrett Wilson, there is no one else that scares opponents on the Jets offense on the perimeter. Having a combination of Wilson and Calvin Ridley would be fun for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to throw to, as long as he can stay healthy.
New York has not made it to the playoffs in 13 seasons. The New York Jets are in win-now mode and this would be a nice destination for Ridley to go to.