Former Falcons and current Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley has officially been reinstated by the NFL, according to Ian Rapoport.
The NFL has reinstated #Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 6, 2023
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, Calvin Ridley is officially back. The complex nature of the trade compensation makes this intriguing.
According to NFL.com, the Falcons stand to receive a fifth-round pick so long as he is reinstated by a certain date, which hasn’t been reported. However, the significant compensation is tied to Ridley’s play in 2023.
The Falcons get a fourth-rounder if he makes the team, which is likely a guarantee. The club receives a third-rounder if Ridley hits certain playing time marks, which is also unknown. And the highest compensation would be a second-rounder if the Jaguaras and Ridley agree to a new deal.
Outside of just being a decent human, Falcons fans should root for Calvin Ridley because it directly affects the club. If he balls out in Jacksonville, the Jaguars will be motivated to work out a new contract for the former first-round pick, which would immediately benefit the Falcons. Everyone in Atlanta should be cheering for that scenario.
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 next 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.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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