Calvin Ridley

Largest 2025 Cap Hits: Offense

July 1st, 2025 at 10:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Last offseason brought about a record-breaking jump in the salary cap. This year, the ceiling rose to $279.2MM, another notable spike. The market at a number of positions will benefit from the ongoing surge in spending power available to teams, with quarterbacks obviously the largest standout in that respect.

In 2024, a pair of signal-callers surpassed the $50MM mark in terms of cap charges for the season. That will not be the case this time around, but to little surprise quarterbacks once again lead the way in terms of representing the largest share of many teams’ financial commitments for 2025. Positions such as receiver and offensive tackle have also generally not reached the same peak in terms of cap commitments as last year.

Leading up to training camp, are the NFL’s top 25 cap charges for offensive players:

Dak Prescott, QB (Cowboys): $50.52MM
Matthew Stafford, QB (Rams): $47.47MM
Joe Burrow, QB (Bengals): $46MM
Lamar Jackson, QB (Ravens): $43.5MM
Kyler Murray, QB (Cardinals): $43.33MM
Kirk Cousins, QB (Falcons): $40MM
Geno Smith, QB (Raiders): $40MM
Tua Tagovailoa, QB (Dolphins): $39.18MM
Justin Herbert, QB (Chargers): $37.35MM
Josh Allen, QB (Bills): $36.34MM
Deshaun Watson, QB (Browns): $35.97MM
Jared Goff, QB (Lions): $32.6MM
Taylor Moton, RT (Panthers): $31.35MM
Jordan Love, QB (Packers): $29.69MM
Patrick Mahomes, QB (Chiefs): $28.06MM
Calvin Ridley, WR (Titans): $28MM
Tyreek Hill, WR (Dolphins): $27.7MM
Jawaan Taylor, RT (Chiefs): $27.39MM
Baker Mayfield, QB (Buccaneers): $26.48MM
Terry McLaurin, WR (Commanders): $25.5MM
Mike Evans, WR (Buccaneers): $25.36MM
D.J. Moore, WR (Bears): $24.9MM
Tee Higgins, WR (Bengals): $24.06MM
Ja’Marr Chase, WR (Bengals): $23.57MM
Trey Smith, RG (Chiefs): $23.4MM

Prescott’s last-minute 2024 Cowboys extension made him the first player in NFL history to carry an AAV of $60MM. That pact will have lasting impacts well beyond the coming campaign, as the team looks to also fit in the big-ticket extension CeeDee Lamb inked last summer and the one Micah Parsons is in position to sign at some point before Week 1.

Once again, Stafford and the Rams entered the spring with plenty of uncertainty. Retirement was a consideration quickly done away with in the case of the 37-year-old, but it remained to be seen if he would remain in Los Angeles. Trade offers came in from numerous suitors, and the chance existed for Stafford to land a more lucrative deal elsewhere. In the end, though, team and player reached agreement on another reworked pact. Stafford is now in line to receive $84MM over the next two years, including guaranteed money in 2026. A bit of continuity will thus be in place under center for the Rams.

2020 draft classmates Burrow, Tagovailoa and Herbert are understandable top-10 players on this list given their respective deals. All three are on the books for years to come as they look to unseat the Chiefs atop the AFC. Burrow spoke about restructuring his pact to create the cap space necessary for the Bengals to retain or extend each of their key in-house players this offseason. That has yet to take place, and it will be interesting to see if a reworking is explored while talks on the Trey Hendrickson front continue.

The Ravens have worked out a few extensions on offense already (Derrick Henry, Rashod Bateman) but Jackson looms as a candidate for a new deal. Three years remain on his pact, but starting in 2026 his cap charge is scheduled so spike well past its current figure. The two-time MVP has discussed a new arrangement this offseason, and a bump in guarantees and overall compensation similar to what the Bills did with Allen would come as no surprise.

Cousins’ figure stands out, of course, given the fact he is slated to operate as Atlanta’s backup this season. With no release coming and no trade imminent, the four-time Pro Bowler is set to stay in place behind Michael Penix Jr. Cousins has made progress in his rehab from shoulder and ankle injuries suffered prior to his benching midway through his debut Atlanta season. With $10MM already guaranteed for next year, it will be interesting to see if a trade market develops in the coming months in his case.

With the exception of Watson – whose second Achilles tear is set to sideline him for most or all of the coming campaign – the remaining quarterbacks on the list are positioned to serve as starters for their respective teams. Only Geno Smith will be suiting up for a new organization after he was traded from the Seahawks to the Raiders. That swap was followed up by a two-year, $75MM extension and allowed him to reunite with head coach Pete Carroll. A short-term upgrade under center will be key as Vegas looks to find stability on the sidelines and in the front office.

Moton’s cap figure was a talking point earlier this offseason, but the Panthers are content to avoid a fourth restructure in his case. The pending free agent hopes to finish his career in Carolina, but an extension would have helped ensure that while lowering his immediate cap charge. In the absence of such an agreement, it will be interesting to see if Moton, 30, can deliver another strong showing in 2025.

Ridley is perhaps a surprising figure to lead the way in terms of cap charges at the receiver spot. He will operate as a key member of the Titans’ offense, a unit whose success will of course depend in large part on the play of rookie Cam Ward. Ridley has two more years left on his deal beyond 2025, but with limited guarantees owed over that span his Tennessee future could be greatly impacted by who this season plays out.

The likes of Hill, Evans and Moore are not currently the subject of speculation regarding their future. McLaurin, however, was absent from much of the Commanders’ spring practices with little progress being made at the negotiating table. Plenty of work is still required at this point to avoid a potential free agent departure next spring. Coming off a career-high in touchdowns while thriving alongside Jayden Daniels, the two-time Pro Bowler is in line for a raise which will likely lower his cap hit this season.

Chase and Higgins inked their deals simultaneously, putting an end to questions regarding where the latter in particular would play on his second contract. Those two, together with Burrow, will serve as foundational players for years to come in Cincinnati. It will be interesting to see how long Chase (with an AAV of $40.25MM) remains the league’s top earner in that respect for non-quarterbacks.

Kansas City’s offensive line faces questions entering the season. Despite his big-ticket contract, Taylor is not a lock to remain a starter at this point. With no guaranteed left on the final year of his deal (2026), a parting of ways could be in store next spring if a backup gig ensues. Trey Smith, meanwhile, remains attached to the franchise tag although an extension is among the team’s remaining offseason priorities.

AFC South Notes: WRs, Anderson, Sneed

May 25th, 2025 at 8:18pm CST by Ely Allen

Three receivers in the AFC South are facing big seasons for different reasons in 2025, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Titans wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Treylon Burks and Texans wideout John Metchie all are looking to have impactful 2025 campaigns in order to improve their prospects for the future.

Ridley returns to Tennessee as the team’s leading receiver from 2024, but he’ll be in a much-improved receiving corps this season. He’s been joined by veterans Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson and rookies Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, and Xavier Restrepo as targets for No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward. Volin argues that, with Ridley being 30 years old, the Titans may feel comfortable moving on from Ridley in favor of their several other options in the future. Even with a post-June 1 designation, cutting Ridley would not save them any cap space this year, but if Ridley can’t prove to be a worthy asset in 2025, his contract provides a potential out that could limit his dead money to $8.02MM and increase the team’s cap savings to $18.73 for 2026, should they cut him.

After Tennessee made the decision to decline Burks’ fifth-year option, it’s certain that the 25-year-old will be headed into the final year of his rookie contract. Through three seasons, Burks has struggled mightily with injuries, missing 24 of a possible 51 games. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, then, that he may not make it through the offseason. With the lack of production, the influx of new talent, and only $1.91MM of dead money facing the team should they cut him, Burks faces long odds of making the roster in 2025.

Metchie, unfortunately, faces similar challenges. Metchie’s health issues stem, initially, from a surprising diagnosis of leukemia that halted his rookie season before it even began. In two years since returning to the team, though, Metchie has failed to make much of an impact, despite injuries to his teammates providing plenty of opportunities for him to do so. Like Burks, Metchie is now heading into the final year of his rookie contract and dealing with an influx of new talent like veteran Christian Kirk and Day 2 rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Metchie, a Day 2 pick himself, will need to tap into the potential that got him drafted that high in order to ensure his roster status for the 2025 NFL season.

Here are a couple other rumors from around the AFC South:

Former No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. is not yet eligible for an extension, but that hasn’t stopped him from thinking about it. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year told reporters recently that he “most definitely” wants to remain in Houston for the rest of his career. With 18.0 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, and 41 quarterback hits through two seasons, one would imagine that the feeling is mutual. The Texans will have to wait until he completes his third season of NFL play, though, until they can extend their young pass rusher with the contract that he desires.
Two days ago, we reported that Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was progressing well in his rehabilitation but noted that there wasn’t yet a timeline for his return. There doesn’t appear to have been any new information, but Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt told fans in a mailbag yesterday that “the plan is to have him ready to go for the fall.” So, it seems Sneed will continue his recovery work for the remainder of the summer with plans to be back, hopefully, in time for training camp.

Latest On Patriots’ WR Pursuit

April 18th, 2024 at 8:27pm CST by Ben Levine

Following their failed pursuit of Calvin Ridley, the Patriots continue to be on the lookout for wide receivers. While speaking with reporters today, de facto general manager Eliot Wolf acknowledged that the team still had a need for an outside receiver (per Evan Lazar of the team website).

The Patriots moved on from DeVante Parker earlier this offseason and replaced him with K.J. Osborn, who Lazar profiles as more of a “complementary piece.” Further, Osborn is a better fit for the Z/slot role, a job that would also be ideal for the team’s other top wide receivers: Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas. While the team is still rostering the likes of Tyquan Thornton and Kayshon Boutte (along with veterans like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Reagor), it makes sense that the Patriots would be pursuing a speedster for their offense.

As a result, the Patriots have been mentioned as a popular landing spot for any of the veteran WRs that could shake loose, a grouping that includes the likes of Brandon Aiyuk and Tee Higgins. While Wolf wouldn’t give any specifics, he did acknowledge that the team is pursuing multiple paths as they look to add to the position.

“We’ve had conversations with teams about different scenarios,” Wolf said. “Not just at receiver but at other positions. That’s definitely something that we’d be open to.”

The team was aggressive in their pursuit of Ridley, but the Patriots ended up losing the sweepstakes to the Titans. Robert Kraft previously said the team didn’t lose out on Ridley because of financials. Instead, the owner gave a variety of reasons for not adding the receiver, including taxes, the quarterbacks situation, and the WR’s girlfriend. However, Wolf seemed to acknowledge that it was indeed money that led to the Patriots losing out on the free agent wideout.

“Another team offered more money [for Ridley] would be the main thing,” Wolf said.

The Patriots could have their pick of the top WR prospects with the number-three pick, a grouping that’s led by Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU’s Malik Nabers, and Washington’s Rome Odunze. However, since the team is expected to take a QB with their first-round pick, Lazar points to a number of later-round receivers like Adonai Mitchell, Keon Coleman, Ladd McConkey, Devontez Walker, and Brenden Rice.

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Bills, Fangio

March 29th, 2024 at 12:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Even though the Patriots re-signed Kendrick Bourne, their failed pursuit of Calvin Ridley leaves a void at receiver. Robert Kraft certainly believes the team made a viable offer but cited an interesting reason for the former first-round pick choosing the Titans.

“It was not because of finance. Clearly, his girlfriend wanted to be in the South,” Kraft said (via the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed) of Ridley, referring to the wide receiver’s wife. “We had a situation where the taxes were, like, almost 10% higher. We offered — we were willing to keep going at that premium. But he didn’t want to be in the Northeast. And part of it might be the quarterback situation as well.”

The Pats and Jaguars were believed to be battling for Ridley, but the Titans came in with a monster offer. Tennessee gave Ridley a whopping $46.98MM guaranteed at signing — third among all wide receivers. That number will jump to $50MM if he is on Tennessee’s roster on Day 5 of the 2025 league year. The Patriots have faced criticism for their free agency route, after Jerod Mayo said the team was planning to be more aggressive. Much of the Pats’ moves have involved re-signings. The Pats have a big decision to make at No. 3 overall, and trade-down rumors are emerging. If they do draft a passer third, the WR need will be glaring — unless a rumored Pats trade effort produces a deal — on Day 2 of the draft.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

Michael Onwenu joined the host of guards who received big paydays this month, but the Patriots are not planning to return him to his primary rookie-contract position. New England is planning to station Onwenu where he played much of last season. After re-signing the former sixth-round pick on a three-year, $57MM deal, the Pats are keeping him at right tackle, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Onwenu appears comfortable with this plan, per the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi. The Pats used Onwenu at guard during the 2021 and ’22 seasons, but after injury issues at right tackle last season, Bill Belichick moved him back to that position — where he spent time during his rookie campaign. While left tackle remains an issue post-Trent Brown, the Onwenu deal solidifies the team’s RT job.
Bills GM Brandon Beane does not expect Micah Hyde to retire, and despite the team having re-signed Taylor Rapp and brought Mike Edwards over from the Chiefs, Hyde could remain in the picture. Beane is not ruling out a re-signing, ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg notes. Hyde played out a third Bills contract and joins a few other accomplished safeties on the market — Justin Simmons, Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs among them. While GMs often indicate interest in re-signing a player at a lower rate exists, the Bills did follow through on this by bringing back Jordan Poyer at a lower cost (two years, $12.5MM) in 2023. Buffalo disbanded the Hyde-Poyer tandem by cutting the latter this month.
Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin has a workout scheduled with the Bills, per Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline. The No. 43 overall prospect on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board, Franklin has four “30” visits scheduled as well. Working with first-round QB prospect Bo Nix, Franklin posted 1,383 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns last season. Franklin was sick during Combine week, Pauline adds, noting he weighed in seven pounds heavier (183) at his pro day.
Mike McDaniel confirmed the Dolphins did not have the intention of moving on from Vic Fangio after one season, but the third-year HC indicated (via ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Beasley) a few one-on-one conversations led to an understanding it would be best for the sides to part ways. Fangio quickly agreed to terms with the Eagles, which came after players heard rumblings the accomplished DC was eyeing a move back to Philadelphia during last season.
Bourne’s three-year, $19.5MM Patriots contract includes $5.5MM guaranteed, and KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets the veteran wide receiver can guarantee $2.5MM of his $5.5MM 2025 base salary by eclipsing 800 receiving yards this season. Bourne, who is coming off a torn ACL, has one 800-yard season in six years; he posted exacted 800 in 2021.

AFC Contract Details: Titans, Jeudy, Browns, Brown, Bengals, Broncos, Bills, Jets, Texans

March 27th, 2024 at 4:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are contract details from some of the latest deals agreed to around the league.

Calvin Ridley, WR (Titans). Four years, $92MM. In addition to his $20MM signing bonus, Ridley will see his first two base salaries ($4.5MM, $22,5MM) fully guaranteed. If on Tennessee’s roster by Day 5 of the 2025 league year, Ridley will receive a $3.02MM guarantee for his 2026 base salary ($20.24MM), per OverTheCap. If Ridley remains on Tennessee’s roster by Day 5 of the 2026 league year, he will earn a $1MM bonus. This still stands to give the Titans some 2026 flexibility.
Jerry Jeudy, WR (Browns). Three years, $52.5MM. The recently traded wideout’s base value, as expected, checks in lower than the initial numbers. The ex-Denver target will see guarantees into his the deal’s third year, with SI.com’s Albert Breer noting $6MM will be guaranteed for 2026. Jeudy received $41MM guaranteed at signing.
Curtis Samuel, WR (Bills). Three years, $24MM. The Bills are guaranteeing $5MM of Samuel’s $6.91MM 2025 base salary at signing. The entire ’25 base is guaranteed for injury, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Samuel will be due a $1MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2026 league year; his $6.51MM 2026 salary is nonguaranteed.
John Simpson, G (Jets). Two years, $12MM. This number is down a bit from the initial $18MM figure, which is the deal’s max value. Simpson will see $6MM guaranteed, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes. The Jets used three void years to spread out the cap hits; the fifth-year guard is on New York’s books at $3.2MM in 2024.
Folorunso Fatukasi, DT (Texans). One year, $5.2MM. The recent Jacksonville cut will receive $4.6MM guaranteed at signing on his Houston pact, Wilson tweets. The Texans tacked two void years onto the veteran nose tackle’s deal.
Trent Brown, T (Bengals). One year, $4.75MM. The veteran tackle will receive $2MM guaranteed, with OverTheCap indicating $1MM will be available in per-game roster bonuses with another $250K in play via a workout bonus. A bonus-laden structure is not new for Brown, who had weight clauses in his most recent two Patriots contracts.
Solomon Thomas, DL (Jets). One year, $3MM. The Jets are guaranteeing the former No. 3 overall pick $2.5MM, Cimini adds.
Mike Edwards, S (Bills). One year, $2.8MM. The former Tampa Bay and Kansas City safety can earn up to $4MM on his Buffalo deal, ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Caplan tweets. He is on the Bills’ cap at $2.8MM.
Cody Barton, LB (Broncos). One year, $2.46MM. The Broncos will land the veteran linebacker for more than $1MM cheaper than the Commanders did in 2023. Denver is guaranteeing $2.33MM of the deal, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson.
Desmond King, CB (Texans). One year, $1.8MM. Veteran slot cornerback/return man’s contract can max out at $2.2MM, Wilson tweets.

Titans To Sign WR Calvin Ridley

March 13th, 2024 at 11:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a Jaguars-Patriots duel formed in the Calvin Ridley sweepstakes, a mystery suitor revealed itself. The Titans are swooping in with a big offer to land the former first-round pick.

Ridley will commit to Tennessee on a four-year, $92MM deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The Titans are giving Ridley $50MM fully guaranteed. A year after winning a lower-priced DeAndre Hopkins pursuit, Tennessee will pair him with Ridley.

This marks a windfall for Ridley, who will cash in despite missing the 2022 season due to a gambling suspension and leaving the Falcons early in the 2021 slate. After Atlanta traded Ridley to Jacksonville during his suspension, the former Alabama standout posted his second 1,000-yard year. Although the Jaguars wanted to retain Ridley, they may have stopped short of this price point.

As of Wednesday afternoon, however, the Titans checked in with the NFL’s most cap space. Ran Carthon‘s team carried $72MM before the Ridley agreement. While the Patriots and Jaguars both made offers, a stealth suitor may have topped them both. The Jags had been viewed as likely to retain Ridley, but they already have three veteran contracts at receiver (Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Gabe Davis) and another at tight end (Evan Engram). Tennessee has Hopkins on a relatively low-cost accord, after beating out the Patriots in that race as well, giving the team a clearer path to pursue this year’s top free agent wideout. Indeed, in a piece written by Jeff Howe, Larry Holder, and Randy Mueller of The Athletic (subscription required), we learned that while the Jags’ and Pats’ offers were in the same ballpark, the Titans’ proposal was significantly higher.

At $23MM per year, Ridley checks in as the NFL’s ninth-highest-paid receiver; the $50MM guaranteed at signing, however, is the more important number. Only Tyreek Hill‘s 2022 Dolphins deal carried more locked in at signing. That illustrates where this market went and the aggressive pushes teams were making to bring in this market’s top receiver.

Ridley, 29, will also reunite with the Jaguars’ 2023 pass-game coordinator, Nick Holz, who landed the Titans’ OC job earlier this offseason. Holz was on-hand for a rather uneven Jaguars offensive season, with Press Taylor calling plays. Ridley, however, used the 2023 slate to rebound after effectively two years away. The 2018 first-round pick left the Falcons in October 2021, and while the team helped him find a desired trade destination — Ridley picked Jacksonville — money may well be talking for the Florida native.

PFR’s top 50 free agent ranks listed the Titans as a potential Ridley suitor — largely due to cap space and what has transpired since the A.J. Brown trade. The Titans have not seen Brown’s immediate replacement — 2022 first-rounder Treylon Burks — become a difference-maker. And less than two years after the ill-fated Brown move, the Titans ditched their GM (Jon Robinson) and HC (Mike Vrabel). The Titans were not offering Brown a deal in this ballpark; two years later, and with the cap exploding to $255.4MM, a new GM will sign off on this money for Ridley, whose career has been much rockier than the current Eagles WR1’s.

As Julio Jones‘ hamstring trouble — which helped lead the Falcons to trade him to the Titans the following year — produced a 2020 shutdown in Atlanta, his younger sidekick broke through. Ridley’s 90-catch, 1,374-yard, nine-TD season placed him on the All-Pro second team. Ridley said he played most of the 2020 season on a broken foot, but he was not informed of the break until June 2021. He underwent surgery, which was described as a minor procedure, but said he was not close to 100% by Week 1. This preceded Ridley leaving the Falcons, citing mental health reasons.

Ridley’s rookie contract tolled to 2023 due to the subsequent gambling ban, which will add more risk to this Titans bet. Although Ridley produced in spurts for the Jags in a 1,016-yard season, he will turn 30 before the 2024 season ends. Two of Ridley’s four 100-yard showings came against a struggling Titans team, though, and Carthon will place a big bet on Ridley having plenty left in the tank to help Levis. This contract will pair with Levis’ rookie deal, which runs through 2026.

Titans Rumors: Ridley, Gardner-Johnson, Dillard

March 13th, 2024 at 11:05pm CST by Ely Allen

The Titans have yearned for a No. 1 wide receiver since they traded away A.J. Brown. Literally since that exact moment, when they used the draft pick they acquired in that trade to draft Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks in the hopes that he would take over. They had also traded for former Rams wide receiver Robert Woods in hopes that he would return from injury to the form of his best years in Los Angeles.

When neither of those moves worked out quite how the wished, Tennessee signed DeAndre Hopkins. While Hopkins certainly gave them a season worthy of a WR1, it became clear that that was not quite enough, that the team still had to get better around Hopkins. Enter Calvin Ridley.

The list of free agent wide receivers this year is expansive, but it is anything but lucrative. Some of the top options like Gabriel Davis and Darnell Mooney had already signed and other top options like Mike Williams, Michael Thomas, and Odell Beckham Jr. came with their own caveats. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Titans brass was focused on a singular goal: landing the best wide receiver available.

With the options out there, they set their sights on Ridley and their focus narrowed. The team reportedly put themselves in position to land Ridley starting last night, keeping in constant contact with Ridley and company. Not wanting to allow for anyone else to obtain their treasure, they made their move, offering what they knew would be the best deal that any team might offer the 29-year-old receiver. The rest is history, they landed their man, and he will be donning Titans blue in 2024.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of Nashville:

With the Titans looking to add a defensive back to the roster, following the loss of Kevin Byard after his trade midseason, the name C.J. Gardner-Johnson has come up, per Adam Caplan at Pro Football Network. The veteran safety has some familiarity with the staff playing one of the best seasons of his career under new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson when the two were both in Philadelphia. Gardner-Johnson missed nearly all of the 2023 campaign with a torn pectoral muscle, starting the first two games of the season and making a comeback for the playoffs, so he may even come at a slight discount.
While retaining that their plans could change, Caplan also reports that the Titans are currently expected to retain veteran left tackle Andre Dillard, who just finished the first year of his three-year, $29MM contract. Dillard started 10 games last year and was forced to the bench for six others. $6MM of his $9MM base salary for 2024 became fully guaranteed today and he will carry a $10.68MM cap hit for the season. Cutting him now would only save $2.88MM of cap space while leaving $7.79MM of dead money, while designating him a post-June 1 release could clear up $6.47MM of cap space, leaving the team with only $4.2MM of dead money. If he is retained, he would be assumed to start at left tackle, leaving Nicholas Petit-Frere and Jaelyn Duncan to battle for the right tackle job.

Jaguars Likely To Re-Sign WR Calvin Ridley?

March 13th, 2024 at 3:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

3:00pm: With the new league year starting, the second part of the Ridley trade is locked in. The Falcons will receive the Jaguars’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 79). Had Ridley re-signed earlier, Atlanta would have ended up with Jacksonville’s No. 48 selection. The Jags already sent the Falcons their fifth-round choice last year. Now, the team awaits word on if it will keep the wide receiver.

2:47pm: We are minutes from the 2024 league year, which matters significantly in this particular free agency pursuit. Only the Jaguars and Patriots have been closely connected to Ridley, and Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz labels this a two-horse race. Despite Ridley’s 2021 hiatus and 2022 gambling suspension, he is expected to land a big number in free agency.

Continuing to make it clear to their 2022 trade pickup they view him as a long-term option rather than a rental, the Jags can re-sign him after 3pm CT and only send a third-round pick to the Falcons. At this point, it appears Atlanta will not be in play to collect Jacksonville’s second-rounder.

11:07am: Calvin Ridley‘s free agency has presented one of the more complex markets in recent memory, with the 2022 Jaguars-Falcons trade significantly impacting its composition. As the Patriots try to poach the former first-round pick, the Jags are not giving up.

Despite the Jags having agreed to terms with Gabe Davis, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes they have made an offer to retain Ridley. This comes after a report indicated the Patriots have made an offer to Ridley, who looms as the top wideout available after Mike Evans, Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr. did not end up hitting the market.

Ridley, 29, is the only one of PFR’s top 11 free agents not to have chosen a destination yet. A wink-wink agreement between Ridley and the Jags could conceivably be in place. If Jacksonville signs Ridley before 3pm CT today — the start of the 2024 league year — it goes down as an extension, meaning the team will send Atlanta its 2024 second-round pick. If Ridley re-signs with the Jags after 3pm, the Falcons will obtain the AFC South team’s third-rounder.

On that note, Jones adds the Jaguars are viewed as the more likely winner of these sweepstakes. The 2022 trade pickup is weighing the cost of living, and Florida’s lack of a state income tax has always represented an advantage against most other states housing NFL franchises. A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native, Ridley also chose to be traded to the Jags in 2022; the Falcons discussed the 2018 first-round pick with several teams but worked with him to find an acceptable destination. Ridley having picked the Jags 17 months ago figures to matter now as well.

Ridley returning to Jacksonville would create a crowded receiver room. The Jags already featured an unusually constructed skill-position group, one that featured four players on either veteran contracts or a fifth-year option, in 2023. With Davis coming in, the team would seemingly need to move on from either Zay Jones or Christian Kirk to avoid the stranger scenario of five veteran deals — all north of $8MM per year — being allocated to pass catchers. With Kirk working as Trevor Lawrence‘s top target for most of his tenure, Jones may be the one on the chopping block. The slot player is due a $7MM base salary and is on the Jags’ cap at $10.75MM.

The Jags will need to backload Ridley’s contract or make more moves to clear cap space, as they hold just more than $5MM. The Patriots are in much better shape, sitting with nearly $60MM despite making several moves to retain their own UFAs. Ridley staying in Jacksonville would move the focus to other available wideouts — perhaps the Chargers’ Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, who have been connected to the Pats — as New England attempts to land a No. 1-caliber target.

Patriots Submit Offer To WR Calvin Ridley

March 12th, 2024 at 8:08pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots’ reported interest in receiver Calvin Ridley is very real. According to Josina Anderson, the Patriots have made an offer to the free agent wideout.

The organization is also opting to “keep a deal on the table” following today’s reports that focused on the interesting logistics of the previous Jaguars/Falcons trade. If Jacksonville re-signs Ridley before 2pm tomorrow, they’ll owe Atlanta a second-round pick. If they wait beyond that deadline and re-sign the receiver, the Jaguars would only owe the Falcons a third-round pick.

This led some pundits to believe that Ridley was destined to return to Jacksonville and was simply biding his time to provide his organization with better draft capital. However, it sounds like the Patriots are still very much in the hunt, and it’ll be interesting to see how negotiations progress over the next 24 hours.

New England holds more than $80MM in cap space, and with Ridley sitting atop the WR market, it only made sense that the Patriots would target the free agent for their new-look offense. The team moved on from Mac Jones and added veteran Jacoby Brissett, and the organization appears to be leaning towards selecting a QB with the third-overall pick. Ridley would represent an intriguing target for whoever is under center for the Patriots in 2024 and beyond.

The Patriots’ receivers struggled in 2023, although that was partly due to the team’s inconsistent play at quarterback. The team has already moved on from DeVante Parker and is looking to unload JuJu Smith-Schuster, leaving plenty of question marks atop the depth chart. The team did agree to new deals with Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Reagor, but the rest of their depth chart features unproven options like Demario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton, and Kayshon Boutte.

Patriots Pursuing Calvin Ridley; Jaguars Still Aiming To Retain WR

March 12th, 2024 at 2:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 12: The Pats and Jags continue to pursue Ridley, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, who notes sources around the league point to a darkhorse team being in this mix. Another deep wideout draft class is likely affecting this year’s receiver market as well, though Darnell Mooney fetched a nice haul from the Falcons earlier today.

The Jags still being in this pursuit is interesting, with the team locking in Gabe Davis on Monday. Ridley coming back alongside Davis would point to the Jags, who also have Christian Kirk and Zay Jones under contract, changing up their current WR group.

MARCH 10: Wide receiver changes are expected in New England. After the team’s JuJu Smith-Schuster signing did not produce much of consequence last year, a bigger swing is anticipated once the legal tampering period begins Monday.

The Patriots are expected to pursue Calvin Ridley in free agency, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. The cap-rich team is not known for big free agency spending, save for a few instances (largely 2021), but new faces are running the show. The Eliot Wolf-led operation appears to be aiming for a big upgrade around a to-be-determined starting quarterback.

Jacksonville is expected to try and retain Ridley, but due to the structure of the trade with Atlanta in 2022, a pre-free agency strike has not been expected. If the Jaguars re-sign Ridley after he hits free agency, they will only owe the Falcons their 2024 third-round pick. If a deal becomes official before Ridley hits the market, Jacksonville owes Atlanta its second-rounder. The team already sent the Falcons a 2022 fifth in this two-pick trade.

With Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr.. tagged and Mike Evans re-signing with the Buccaneers, Ridley looks to be the top free agent wideout available. The Patriots hold more than $82MM in cap space; only the Commanders are carrying more into the tampering period. New England re-signed Hunter Henry late this week, but its pass-catching corps still features questions.

The Pats gave Smith-Schuster a three-year, $25.5MM deal that included $16MM fully guaranteed. His $7MM base salary for 2024 is locked in. DeVante Parker, however, may be less likely to be on the 2024 Patriots. The team is expected to try to unload Parker’s contract in a trade, according to MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian, Chris Mason and Mark Daniels. It would save the Pats just more than $3MM by trading Parker, who has two seasons left on the extension he signed last year. The former Dolphins first-round pick has $3.1MM remaining in guarantees on that summer 2023 re-up.

While last year did not feature a good receiver environment in New England, Parker totaled only 394 receiving yards — third-most among Pats wideouts. Smith-Schuster managed just 260 in an injury-shortened season. Despite playing in only eight games, Kendrick Bourne finished with 406 receiving yards and four TDs. The Patriots are not closing the door on keeping Bourne on a second contract.

Bourne and the Pats are still talking, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, who indicates the sides have not found an acceptable middle ground. Bourne, 28, is coming off an ACL tear. That said, the ex-49er appeared back in the team’s good graces after residing in the doghouse during a 2022 season in which he came up in trade rumors. Bourne, who totaled 800 receiving yards in Mac Jones‘ rookie season, played out a three-year, $15MM deal.

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