Should the Jaguars Re-Sign Calvin Ridley?
Good receivers have been hard to come by in Jacksonville. Long gone are the days of Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, and it’s been nearly a decade since the tandem of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns broke records in Jacksonville.
The franchise has had just seven 1,000-yard receivers in its entire history and two of them were on the active roster in 2023, Christian Kirk and the subject of this article, Calvin Ridley.
In what might be Trent Baalke’s most heralded and surprising move in his tenure as General Manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the front office made a call to the Atlanta Falcons to acquire the rights to former second-team All-Pro Calvin Ridley.
Ridley has had about as interesting of a start to a career as one can have. The former Alabama receiver set the world on fire in his rookie season, hauling in 64 balls for 821 yards and 10 scores. He was named to the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie team.
In 2020, he took his game to the next level, amassing 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. Soon after Ridley’s career year, the standout receiver faced some speed bumps. He played just five games between the 2021 and 2022 seasons after injuries, personal time off, and suspension took him away from the game.
Insert Trent Baalke and the Jaguars, who sought out Ridley in hopes of providing young Trevor Lawrence with a top-shelf receiver. So has Ridley lived up to those expectations?
Well, yes and no.
Ridley, statistically, had a fantastic first season with the Jaguars. It was also his first real playing time in almost two years. Ridley managed to pass the 1,000-yard threshold and was the team’s most productive receiver as he caught eight touchdowns as well.
When you start to look deeper, you’ll realize why some fans were dismayed by Ridley’s 2023 season. Among the concerns was his issue with drops; Ridley’s seven drops were tied for seventh most among receivers. He also failed to get much going after the catch as he averaged just 2.7 yards after the catch.
Ridley’s consistency was also an issue. Of his 17 games played, Ridley managed 50 yards in just eight contests. That’s something the Jaguars staff will want to be improved upon if they do decide to bring Ridley back on a new deal.
So should the Jaguars bring Ridley back or not? Does his play in 2023 warrant a new contract?
My answer is, simply, yes. The data doesn’t tell the whole story.
With Zay Jones absent for much of the year, Ridley saw a lot of attention from defenses as the receiving options became far more limited. Ridley’s route tree also didn’t give him much of a chance when it came to yards after the catch. Many of his routes were outward breaking, leading him out of bounds with little room for yard creation.
When left in single man coverage, Ridley was open on 38.99% of his 218 routes, fourth best among impending free agent receivers. It’s also important to mention Ridley’s talent for drawing defensive pass interferences, leading the league with seven.
In my opinion, he still gives Jacksonville the best chance to roster a top-shelf receiver. His season might not have been as fruitful as some had imagined, however, surpassing 1,000 yards receiving in a “down year” certainly gives promise to the future, especially when everyone around him had struggles of their own.
Just ten receivers matched Ridley’s 1,000-yard, eight touchdown stat line. Those other nine were Mike Evans, Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Nico Collins, D.K. Metcalf, D.J. Moore, Stefon Diggs and Davante Adams. That’s good company.
It appears the front office will utilize its ‘franchise tag’ on star pass-rusher Josh Allen, leaving Ridley’s fate very much up in the air. Baalke has mentioned his intent to keep Ridley, however, when the new year hits, Ridley’s services become open to auction. If he is re-signed before the new league year, the Jaguars will send a second round pick to Atlanta. If he is signed following the new year, it will be a third rounder.
The team’s ideal scenario is to prepare a short term contract for Ridley prior to the free agency window and sign the paperwork as soon as it opens. That said, it’s a gamble either way; sign him now and you throw away a second round pick, sign him later and you run the risk of Ridley leaving with the highest bidder.
Pro Football Focus projects Ridley’s contract to be around two years, $21.5m guaranteed, $32.5 total. That deal seems like a fair deal for all parties involved and gives Jacksonville freedom to find additional help in free agency or through the draft.
With Jones being listed as a cap casualty candidate and Agnew set to be a free agent himself, all eyes are on Trent Baalke as fans wait for him to show his hand. The Jaguars simply cannot walk into 2024 with Christian Kirk as their top receiver. It’s Baalke’s job to make sure Press Taylor, Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the offense have the tools they need to flourish.
I still believe Calvin Ridley is the receiver to take this offense to the next level.
