5 teams who could trade for Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley this offseason
As the Atlanta Falcons and Calvin Ridley possibly move toward parting ways, these five teams should be preparing an offseason trade offer.
After eventually trading Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans last offseason, the Atlanta Falcons seem to be going down a similar road with another star wide receiver. During a recent appearance with Dukes and Bell on 92.9 The Game in Atlanta, NFL Network’s Steve Wyche talked about Calvin Ridley’s future in Atlanta.
Ridley last played this season on Oct. 24, and then he took a break to deal address his mental. It was actually his second time stepping away to take care of his mental health, as he missed the Falcons’ game in London against the New York Jets a few weeks before that.
He was technically able to be activated in November. But Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith has had no news to offer, and it became inevitable Ridley would not play again this season.
Asked if Calvin Ridley’s future with the Falcons is in jeopardy @wyche89 tells @MikeBellATL & @putemupcdukes “I’d think so. The fact that he and the team have been so quiet and he hasn’t surfaced, it appears like both sides could be looking for a fresh start.” #dirtybirds
— DukesandBell929 (@DukesandBell929) January 4, 2022
After a full breakout in 2020 (90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns), Ridley will finish the 2021 season with 31 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns in five games. At 27 years old, he is under contract for 2022 for $11.116 million via a fifth-year option.
The Falcons are in a situation where they still need to find ways to clear cap space ($12.52 million in cap space right now, via Over The Cap). Trading Ridley is on the table via that premise, and there will be a market for him if he’s made available.
With that, these five teams should be preparing an offseason trade offer.
5 teams who should be readying an offseason trade offer for Calvin Ridley
5. New England Patriots
The Patriots invested heavily in passing game weapons last offseason (Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne), but it’s safe to say those moves generally didn’t work out as well as it might have been envisioned.
Surrounding Mac Jones with better receivers is surely on New England’s radar looking to this coming offseason. With cap space to take on his fifth-year option, parting with a second-round pick (and/or a first?) is an easy price to pay for Ridley.