Former Falcons and current Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley is eligible to apply for reinstatement to the NFL after serving a year-long suspension for gambling on NFL games, including a Falcons-Jaguars game, while he was on the non-football injury list due to his mental health. The league set Feb. 15 as the first day Ridley could apply, and all Falcons fans should be hoping he gets approved.
The complex nature of the trade compensation makes this intriguing because if he’s not reinstated, the Jaguars gave the Falcons draft assets for nothing. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Falcons could receive as much as 2023 fifth-round and 2024 second-round selections from the Jags.
At the very least, the Falcons will receive a 2023 sixth-round pick. But if he’s reinstated, that becomes a fifth-rounder. The 2024 draft pick stays a fourth-rounder if Ridley is on the roster. It becomes a third-rounder if Ridley reaches certain incentives, which probably includes games/snaps/etc. And the pick becomes a second-rounder if Jacksonville signs Ridley to a contract extension.
The Calvin Ridley experience in Atlanta was electric at times and excruciating at others. The former first-rounder posted 90 catches, 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020, then followed that up without eclipsing 80 yards in a game the following season. He’s still a WR1 in this league; it just wasn’t going to happen in Atlanta. We wish Ridley the best in his new challenge with Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars.
—
Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.