Bills, Bears, Patriots Named Potential Trade Destinations For Calvin Ridley

Calvin Ridley, Bills, Bears, Patriots
NFL Analysis Network

The Atlanta Falcons had some high hopes for their offense coming into the 2021 season. They hired Arthur Smith as head coach, who was regarded as one of the better offensive minds in the NFL while being offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans. Now, it looks likely that they will trade star wide receiver Calvin Ridley and the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, and New England Patriots have all been named potential destinations.

Matt Ryan was still leading the way at quarterback and had an intriguing collection of skill position players to get the ball to. Calvin Ridley was the No. 1 target and emerging as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, taking over the mantle as Ryan’s top target from Julio Jones.

Tight end Kyle Pitts, one of the highest-rated prospects at the position ever, was selected fourth overall. The electric and versatile Cordarrelle Patterson could be deployed in numerous ways and Mike Davis was signed to lead the backfield.

However, things took a turn for the worst when Ridley stepped away from the team to work on his mental health. He missed the final 12 games of the season and the Falcons offense took a nosedive as well.

Ridley’s future is up in the air. There is no guarantee that he will be back in Atlanta, as they could choose to move on from him. The Falcons would likely receive good draft compensation in return for him should the trade route be the one they explore as his $11.6 million option in 2022 is easily palatable.

Over at ESPN, a recent article was put together listing 20 under-the-radar trade candidates in the league. Ridley was one of the players mentioned and three teams were mentioned as possible destinations; the Bills, Bears and Patriots.

This would be the second time in two years that the Bills could pull off a trade for a superstar wide receiver. They did it in 2020 for Stefon Diggs, who continued ascending as one of the best players at his position in the NFL. He and Ridley would combine to be arguably the best wide receiver duo in the league.

The Chicago Bears are desperate for wide receiver help. They have Darnell Mooney on the depth chart and not much else. With Allen Robinson likely moving on in free agency, they need to find Justin Fields some weapons to get the ball to. Ridley would assume the No. 1 role in that offense and provide Fields a go-to receiver that can produce at every level of the offense.

The New England Patriots have a young quarterback of their own in Mac Jones that could use an upgrade in the pass catchers department. The Patriots made moves in free agency last season, signing Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor at wide receiver while bringing in Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry at tight end. Jakobi Meyers and former first-round pick N’Keal Harry are still in the fold as well.

But, none of them project to have true No. 1 receiver traits like Calvin Ridley already possesses. Adding the dynamic Ridley and allowing the others to fill in behind would help take New England’s offense to the next level.

With Josh McDaniels moving on to take over as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, infusing more high-end talent onto the roster to compensate for the loss of such an excellent coordinator would make sense.

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