Eagles Nearly Acquired Calvin Ridley Before Suspension
The Eagles were closing in on acquiring now-suspended Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley before Atlanta was made aware of what was coming and was forced to pull out of negotiations, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports.
It was well-known behind the scenes that the Falcons were very professional with someone wanting to acquire Ridley after being informed that the suspension was on its way and it turns out that the Eagles were that team and a bit put off at first.
“It was actually funny because they were one of the teams, they were close to a deal with Atlanta for Calvin Ridley and Atlanta backed out at the last second,” Glazer said on John Clark's Takeoff podcast. “And Philly was like, ‘What’s going on?’ [The Falcons] couldn’t really tell them. So Philly wasn’t too happy and then after, looked at it like, ‘Alright, Atlanta, thanks.’"
Once it became clear what went on and Ridley was suspended for at least one year for betting on NFL games, the Eagles were appreciative of the way Atlanta GM Terry Fontenot handled the matter.
"Atlanta did business the right way," Glazer said. "They weren’t allowed to say anything, again, the legalities of it, couldn’t say a word. They just had to pull out."
The Eagles clearly want an upgrade at WR and would prefer to add a veteran presence to a young depth chart at the position led by DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, and Jalen Reagor.
"If Philly could have gotten a talent like Calvin Ridley when he didn’t have these issues, that would have been good for them," Glazer said. "Again, they’re aggressive. Howie (Roseman) is always really aggressive. That would have been big, especially with a lot of Alabama guys. That would have been a good one had he not had the issues, but he did. So Atlanta just had to pull out and couldn’t tell them for a couple weeks why.”
Glazer didn't give any specifics to what the Eagles were willing to send to Atlanta for Ridley, a talented route-runner who was limited to five games last season after leaving the Falcons due to anxiety issues.
Philadelphia has extensive experience dealing with anxiety and mental health issues in recent seasons with both Brandon Brooks and Lane Johnson.
In 2020, Ridley, 27, caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and 9 touchdowns.
He was scheduled to play under his fifth-year option this season as a first-round pick out of Alabama in 2018 where he was a teammate with both Smith and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Eagles assistant special teams coach Joe Pannunzio was also very close to Ridley when he was at Alabama in 2018 as the running backs coach.
Ridley was set to make $11,116,000 in 2022 so he would have been a significant financial outlay for the Eagles, although a potential extension and a lesser salary-cap number likely would have been on the table if Philadelphia pulled the trigger.
The final year of Ridley's contract with Atlanta will now toll to 2023.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
