According to Chad Graff, the Patriots are expected to make a strong run at signing Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley, and that will be one of their top priorities today.
New England is desperate for receiving talent to shore up a bottom-tier offense, and Ridley is the top receiver available in free agency this year.
Jacksonville still wants to keep Ridley but they were forced to allow him to test free agency and now there’s a distinct possibility a team like New England outbids them.
We had the Patriots listed as one of the best free agent fits for Ridley this offseason.
Ridley, 29, is a former first-round pick of the Falcons back in 2018 out of Alabama. He played out the fourth year of his four-year, $10,900,732 contract that included a $6,007,804 signing bonus.
The Falcons exercised Ridley’s fifth-year option which was scheduled to cost Atlanta $11.116 million fully guaranteed in 2022. However, it was tolled a year following his suspension for gambling. The Jaguars acquired the deal as a part of their trade for Ridley at the deadline in 2022.
He’s set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
In 2023, Ridley appeared in 17 games for the Jaguars and caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.
We have him included in our Top 100 – 2024 NFL Free Agents list.
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