Calvin Ridley Officially Arrives in Jacksonville

The Jacksonville Jaguars officially have Calvin Ridley in the building.

Two days after the former first-round pick was reinstated by the NFL after a year-long suspension, Ridley arrived at TIAA Bank Field on Wednesday. Greeting him with open arms and wide smiles were Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke.

.@CalvinRidley1 is here!#DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/izf9Tbrt8K
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) March 8, 2023

"I can only go off of what I’ve seen on film. He’s excitable. He’s a top receiver in this league when he’s on his game. I’m excited when that day comes that we can embrace him onto our team, and he gives us just another weapon, potentially, for Trevor," Pederson said at the NFL Scouting Combine last week.

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.

If Ridley is reinstated, the deal will include the 2023 fifth-rounder, but if he isn’t, then it will turn into a sixth-round 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.

“Today's reinstatement by the NFL brings an end to a challenging chapter of my professional career, one that was self-inflicted and began with an isolated lapse in judgement," Ridley said in a statement on Monday.

"I have always owned my mistakes and this is no different. I have great respect for the game and am excited for the opportunity to restart my career in Jacksonville. I look forward to showing my new coaches, teammates, and the entire Jaguars organization exactly who I am and what I represent as a player and person.”

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.

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