Trent Baalke on Calvin Ridley: ‘I Always Have Had a Lot of Respect for His Game’

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke made one of the boldest moves of his career last November, trading for then-suspended wide receiver Calvin Ridley.

But it was long before then that Ridley's talent and potential as a top wide receiver caught his eye.

"The Calvin thing came up because you're always looking. I always have had a lot of respect for his game. We just felt like the time was now to move on Calvin and certainly glad we did at that time," Baalke said during the first episode of the Jaguars-produced video series "The Hunt".

Ridley was one of the major focuses of the first episode in this year's series, with the Jaguars' video team going behind the scenes of Ridley's first day inside TIAA Bank Field after being reinstated by the NFL last month.

Ridley, the No. 26 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, caught 217 passes for 3,061 yards and 26 touchdowns in his first three seasons. He played in five games in 2021 before stepping away from the team, catching 31 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.

In an offseason where the Jaguars haven't spent big in free-agency due to cap restraints, Ridley has proven to be their big fish. For Baalke and the rest of the Jaguars, it is clear the sky is the limit for the former Atlanta Falcons receiver.

With his contract pausing through the suspension, Ridley did not cost the Jaguars anything in 2022. He is set to play on the fifth year of his rookie contract in 2023, worth $11.116 million.

With Ridley reinstated, the trade currently will cost the Jaguars a 2023 fifth-round pick and a conditional 2024 pick. The 2024 pick will be at least a fourth-rounder if Ridley makes the team. If he hits a play-time milestone, it’ll be a third-rounder. But, if the Jaguars are able to get a long-term deal done, it will be a second-rounder.

"The whole goal is to keep good players and do everything you can to keep the core together. We realize in this game that it's impossible to keep everybody together. And again, decisions have to be made; organizations have to make them, players have to make them. You do the best job you can," Baalke said.

"But we're certainly happy with you know getting Tre, resigned getting Dewy resigned, getting Calvin you know on board. All of the decisions we make you know, there's a lot of collaboration that goes into it and we're just glad that the players that are here for the majority want to stay here."