Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former Alabama WR to become an NFL free agent in the offseason

Originally posted on Touchdown Alabama Magazine
By Stephen M. Smith | Last updated Feb 4, 2024 9:07 PM ET

A former Alabama football wide receiver will be on the free agent market of the National Football League this offseason.

Calvin Ridley, a South Florida native, was reinstated to the NFL on March 6, 2023, after serving a one-year suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy. He was traded from the Atlanta Falcons to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he produced in the 2023 season in his return home. Ridley, 29, played and started a career-high 17 games — catching 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. A former first-round pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, Ridley enters this offseason as a free agent.

Free agent WRs coming up this offseason:

– Tee Higgins
– Michael Pittman Jr.
– Mike Evans
– Calvin Ridley
– Gabriel Davis
– Darnell Mooney
– Michael Thomas
– Tyler Boyd
– Marquise Brown
– Odell Beckham Jr.
– K.J. Osborn
– Josh Reynolds
– DJ Chark
– Curtis Samuel
– Chase…

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 4, 2024

If he chooses to sign a long-term extension, the Jaguars would have to come off a second-round pick or a third-rounder in the upcoming draft. Ridley has shown that despite a year off, he remains one of the best route runners in the league.

He has a connection with quarterback Trevor Lawrence he wants to develop more. We will see how Jacksonville plays it, but the former two-time College Football Playoff National Champion (2015, 2017) feels he has a home with the Jaguars.

This article first appeared on Touchdown Alabama Magazine and was syndicated with permission.

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