The Tennessee Titans have a new weapon in wide receiver Calvin Ridley after signing him to a four-year, $92 million deal in NFL free agency last week.
After officially inking his contract, Ridley joined A to Z Sports and 104-5 The Zone's Buck Reising for an exclusive interview over the weekend where he discussed everything from his reason for choosing Music City, what he's learned since returning to football, and his plan for the Titans.
#Titans WR Calvin Ridley sits down with @BuckReising now
— 104-5 The Zone (@1045TheZone) March 15, 2024
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After nearly two years away from football, Ridley returned to action and reeled in 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It wasn't his best season, but he learned a lot from it.
"The biggest thing I learned was no matter how hard I worked, I still need to take it over the top every time," Ridley said. "You don't see the hard work we put in, you just see the game. I work so hard but sometimes it wasn't coming to how I want it to be. After the season, it didn't go how I wanted, which means I have to work harder. So I just have to put myself in a position to slow down in those moments and know those moments. No regrets. I hate regrets."
Ridley was honest in his initial introductory press conference that he wanted to stay in Jacksonville but it ultimately came down to overall comfort level and Tennessee felt more comfortable.
"I was raised [under vets] in Atlanta for my first year," Ridley explained. "Grown men. Matt Ryan, Julio Jones. Vets. You don't really have to mess with them. They're going to train, they're going to workout, they're going to come to work. They're going to play good in the game. I was used to that and learning from them. I learned all of the stuff I was bringing to Jacksonville from them. ...Once it got a little weird and I wasn't able to do the things how I wanted to [in Jax] -- sometimes they would get mad. There were just some things that would make me uncomfortable."
Ridley had his agent do most of the talking until it was his turn to talk to the Titans' front office and coaches, which he was impressed with.
"The GM, he said some things that just made me instantly like him," Ridley said. "He instantly was like, 'We're going to treat you like a man. We're going to put you in positions that you want to be in.' He told me where he was from and I could relate to him. So, I liked him a lot. Just from that conversation.
"... He was really good with my daughters. Easy person to talk to. I'm excited to continue to see him every day and get up here and start working."
Ridley made it obvious that he is excited to play in a heavy passing offense under new head coach Brian Callahan and shared his one plan for next season.
"I know they pass. They like a pass. I know the two backs we have, they're really explosive backs and quick. And obviously, D-Hop is over there. But I think with those [players] already, we can do so much. I'm the type of guy you can be creative with me. You can put me anywhere and I'll do my best to make something shake but I'm crazy excited. I love [the] passing game.
"... I plan to score a bunch of touchdowns."
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