Doug Pederson: Jaguars 'Would Like To' Retain Calvin Ridley
Outside of the Josh Allen situation, the biggest question mark looming over the Jacksonville Jaguars offseason is clear: Calvin Ridley.
And if the Jaguars had their way, the Ridley question would end in an answer that lands him back in Jacksonville.
"We would like to. We are early in the process right now and would love to get him back. He was such a dynamic guy for us so we are working to try to make that possible," Jaguars head coach Pederson told NBC Sport's Matthew Berry this week at the NFL Scouting Combine.
It isn't the first time the Jaguars have expressed desire to retain Ridley. A team wouldn't outright say multiple times that they want a deal to happen if it wasn't true.
What that deal would look like, if it would come in Jacksonville, and when it would happen are the next layers to the equation.
Ridley is likely going to be one of the top skill players on the open, especially after the Cincinnati Bengals placed the franchise tag on Tee Higgins. This leaves Ridley likely to be the top receiver for many teams, contending with Mike Evans and potentially Michael Pittman Jr.
Even if Jacksonville is where Ridley wants to be, the Jaguars also have to factor in whether they would want to re-sign Ridley now or after the free agent period starts on March 13. Signing Ridley before then would mean sending a second-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons.
“Well, we’re not real concerned with that, whether it’s a second or third round. We’re just going to work with the player and see if we can come to an agreement whether that’s before that compensation changes or not, that remains to be the same. We’re more focused on the player," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday.
“Yeah, we’re going to continue to have conversations with all of it. We’ve got a lot of work to do this offseason. I had a meeting with Calvin [Ridley] the other day in my office. I had a great talk with Calvin, I know exactly where he’s at and he knows exactly where we’re at. We’re just going to continue to work with all of these players and try to come to some form of compromise, some form of resolution as the weeks go on.”
Ridley recorded the second 1,000-yard season in his career in 2023, catching 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. He also made it through the entire season healthy, starting all 17 games after serving a season-long suspension in 2022 and missing most of the 2021 season.
