Falcons Trade Wide Receiver Calvin Ridley to Jaguars

Calvin Ridley’s troubled time with the Falcons came to an abrupt end with his being traded to Jacksonville.

Author:
Christopher Walsh
Publish date:
Nov 1, 2022 3:19 PM EDT

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The Atlanta Falcons have traded suspended wide receiver Calvin Ridley to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Tuesday was the NFL trading deadline. The deal was first reported by XLX10 Radio.

Ridley was a first-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, 26th overall. During his last full season with the Falcons, 2020, he had 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns, en route to being named a second-team All-Pro.

For his career, Ridley has 248 catches for 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Ridley was suspended for the 2022 season after he was found to be gambling on league games while sitting out part of last year for mental health reasons. He was seemingly considering retirement for a while as well.

At the time, the Falcons engineered a trade of him to the Eagles, but voluntarily pulled out of the deal because they found out that Ridley was about to get a one-year suspension for betting on NFL games.

However, the Falcons exercised his fifth-year option last year, making him a free agent following the 2023 season.

There was a possibility that Atlanta would bring him back, but with drafting Drake London with the No. 8 overall pick in this year's draft, bringing back Ridley was no longer a necessity for Atlanta.

NFL Network also reported that the compensation for Ridley is "complicated." He could be "at maximum" a fifth-round pick in 2023 and a second-round pick in 2024. For a player who can't play this season, that appears to be a good haul for Terry Fontenot and the Falcons' front office.

Judging by his reaction on Twitter, Ridley was pleased with the deal: