Former Patriots RB Stevan Ridley signs with the New York Jets

By Andrew Ross | Apr 8, 2015

Oct 5, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) hands off the ball to New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley (22) against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

Stevan Ridley’s run in New England wasn’t the smoothest, so it’s no surprise that he is finding work elsewhere.

It’s the dog days of NFL free agency, but this is the time when teams can find solid starters on cheap deals that really bring a team together.

There are few recognizable players left still needing a team, and running back Stevan Ridley was one of those guys – until today. After spending four seasons with the New England Patriots, Ridley has decided to stay within the AFC East and play for the New York Jets. The first meeting between the two parties happened a week ago, so it looks like Ridley simply had to think over all his options. As he so often does, Ian Rapoport first broke the news about Ridley’s decision.

New #Jets RB Stevan Ridley had offers from #Redskins & #Dolphins, among others. 1 reason for his call: Opportunity in Chan Gailey’s offense
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 8, 2015

Ridley definitely has the talent to be the number one back for a team, so a move to the Washington Redskins or Miami Dolphins probably wasn’t the best for him since both of those teams already have quality running backs. So I’d assume that “opportunity in Chan Gailey’s offense” simply translates to “I want to be the guy.”

More from New York Jets

Now, that’s not to say that Ridley blows the other New York running backs out of the water. Ridley will be added into a running back committee that consists of Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell. Powell won’t make any moves to be the main guy there, but Ivory has a good shot to (rushed for over 800 yards and six touchdowns last year).

However, Ridley now appears to be the best option there. The running back had to deal with a lot of adversity in New England (well, mainly just Bill Belichick), but he proved that he could make the most out of an opportunity.

Ridley got the most work of his career in 2012 when he got 290 carries, and he used that opportunity to tally up 1.263 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those are great, great numbers from a running back in today’s game.

The official numbers of this deal haven’t been released yet, but they will probably be pretty lackluster. Ridley suffered a torn ACL at the beginning of last season, and that is really the only reason he is in this situation. He probably would have been one of the first free agents to go had he been fully healthy.

Of course people are going to doubt Ridley’s effectiveness post-surgery, and it is now up to him to show everyone that he is still a good running back. It would be a huge surprise to find out that this is only a one-year deal that Ridley can maximize on.

More from FanSided

Home/New York Jets