Titans Veteran Wide Receiver Named Cut Candidate

The Tennessee Titans took a big chance on wide receiver Calvin Ridley when they signed him to a four-year, $92 million contract.

Ultimately, an injury prevented Titans fans from seeing just how much chemistry he truly had with rookie quarterback Cam Ward.

Even once Ridley got hurt, he led the team in receiving yards for another two or three weeks as no one else was able to replicate his success.

That said, it was an extremely low bar. This team's passing offense was little to nothing at the start of the year, and by the end the likes of Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike and Gunnar Helm held their ground.

Cut Candidate: Calvin Ridley

Titans WR — Oct 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) makes a catch against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

ESPN's Bill Barnwell put together a list of the top free agents, cut candidates, and trade targets. The Titans certainly didn't come up much in his article, but the one name that stood out was Ridley's.

"Ridley ran a catch rate of just 51.2% over his two seasons in Tennessee, and while he didn't exactly have great quarterback play for most of those targets, that catch rate ended up 4.4% below expectation, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Tennessee's other wideouts over that span ran a collective 4.7% catch rate below expectation, so Ridley wasn't significantly better than the Titans' other wideouts on less expensive contracts," Barnwell wrote.

"Just $3 million of Ridley's $21.8 million compensation in 2026 is already guaranteed, and the coach and general manager who signed off on that deal are no longer in the building," he added

Barnwell continued, "Ridley wouldn't get anything close to that $21.8 million figure in free agency, which creates leverage for Tennessee. If the front office pushes Ridley to take a pay cut, he would have to either accede to Tennessee's terms or fend for himself in free agency, where he might just get the same reduction in salary the Titans would be offering."

"Ridley has a $1 million bonus that gets paid in mid-March, which will encourage the Titans to make a decision on Ridley's future relatively quickly, but I expect them to push for a friendlier contract in 2026," he said.

Evaluating Titans Options

The team's Calvin Ridley decision ultimately will be decided by their free agent additions. If Tennessee is able to bring in a guy like Rome Doubs or Alec Pierce, there's no reason to keep Ridley as his contract is far too heavy to carry.

No one can fault the Titans for giving him a second chance, but they're now past the need of Ridley ripping through their pockets. In no world is he worth that sort of contract, especially knowing he may never be the same returning from a major injury.

Tennessee isn't expected to draft a receiver at No. 4 overall, but if they do, Ridley's fate is all but sealed. No matter what, the Titans, even with all the cap space they have heading into this offseason, are better without Ridley.

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