With Mike Evans re-signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tee Higgins being franchise tagged by the Cincinnati Bengals, Calvin Ridley was the best wide receiver on the free-agent market, and the Tennessee Titans scooped him up on a massive four-year, $92 million deal.
Gilbert Manzano of Sports Illustrated is not sold that that was a wise move by the Titans.
In a piece where Manzano lists the 10 free-agent signings most likely to bust, he places Ridley No. 1, saying that Tennessee may end up regretting the contract in a year or two.
Manzano notes that Ridley comes with a lot of questions, namely the difficulty he had learning Doug Pederson’s offense with the Jacksonville Jaguars and how Ridley dropped some key passes down the stretch in 2023.
He also mentions that Ridley has only played two full seasons in his NFL career, but it’s important to specify that that hasn’t necessarily been due to injuries. Ridley stepped away from the game for personal reasons after four games in 2021, and that ensuing offseason, he was suspended by the league for gambling, which was why he missed all of 2022.
Ridley, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was originally selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 26th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He spent the first four-and-a-half years of his career with the Falcons, with his best season coming in 2020 when he hauled in 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns.
During his suspension in November 2022, Atlanta traded Ridley to the Jaguars, and in February 2023, he was reinstated by the league.
The 29-year-old was impressive in Jacksonville this past season, catching 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight scores.
But he has been good enough to land a $92 million deal? It remains to be seen.
Because Calvin Ridley was, quite easily, the best wide out available, his price tag surely increased, and the Titans bit the bullet.
One thing is for sure: Tennessee will have a potentially lethal duo of receivers in Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins next season.
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