Will Calvin Ridley re-sign with the Jaguars or will the Patriots outbid Jacksonville?

In 2023, the Jaguars had a disastrous end to their season. After starting the year 8-3, Jacksonville lost five of their last six games. They lost an important game in Week 18 to the Titans and missed out on winning the division and the playoffs. This offseason, there is one key free agent who still hasn’t re-signed with the team yet. 

Calvin Ridley started his career with the Falcons. The 29-year-old ran into some legal issues with the league and was forced to miss the entire 2022 season. That season, Ridley was traded from Atlanta to Jacksonville. Ridley’s 2023 campaign was his first with the Jaguars. Now, he is a free agent this offseason and has two teams with interest. Will Ridley re-sign with the Jaguars or will he be poached and sign with the New England Patriots?

Are the Jaguars or Patriots more likely to sign Calvin Ridley this offseason?

“The message the Jaguars are sending by signing Gabe Davis and Devin Duvernay is that they’re not bringing Calvin Ridley back..

He has a market and I know that New England wants him” ~ @mlombardiNFL #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/jy9ZUzY0Gj

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 13, 2024

There are several reasons why Calvin Ridley hasn’t already re-signed with the Jaguars. First, they signed WRs Gabe Davis and Devin Duvernay as free agents this offseason. That’s on top of Christian Kirk and Zay Jones already in the WR room plus others. Someone will be the odd man out and that could be Ridley. Additionally, the Jaguars might not have the money to pay Ridley a long-term deal. They’ve signed a few free agents and re-signed a few of their players this offseason.

Currently, the Jags have roughly $5 million to work with in cap space after all the moves they’ve already made. Unless Ridley is willing to take a pay cut, Jacksonville must clear up more money. Last season, the veteran WR played on a fifth-year option picked up by the Falcons in 2021. It was worth $11.1 million. At this stage in his career, Ridley is likely looking for a long-term deal. The Jaguars are in a situation where they do not have the money to resign the talented WR.

Let’s say Calvin Ridley goes back to Jacksonville for ~ $20M. That means their WR room consists of:

Calvin Ridley: $20M
Christian Kirk: $18M
Gabe Davis: $13M
Zay Jones: $8M
Evan Engram at TE: $13.75M

That’s a lot of investment at skill positions even with TLaw on a rookie deal

— Arjun Menon (@arjunmenon100) March 13, 2024

In 17 games started and played for the Jaguars in 2023, Calvin Ridley had 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. He led the team in receiving yards last season and was second in receptions. Christain Kirk would have been a bigger part of their offensive game plan but he missed five games due to injury. If the Jags cannot re-sign Ridley, there’s another team with real interest in Ridley. The New England Patriots have $60 million in cap space to work with this offseason. That’s more than enough to sign Ridely to a new long-term deal.

On top of all this, draft compensation comes into play for Ridley as well. If Ridley signs with the Jags before 4:00 p.m. EST today, Jacksonville owes the Falcons a second-round pick. Anytime after that, the Jags will owe the Falcons a third-round pick instead of a second. We’ll have to wait and see if the Jags can get a deal done with Ridley this offseason. As of now, Jacksonville and New England are the top two suitors for Ridley.