We get it. Wide receivers are fun. Many fans are perfectly fine with their favorite team overpaying for a top-tier wideout.
Some receivers are worth it; others aren’t. Calvin Ridley now belongs in the latter category.
Many New England Patriots fans likely were disappointed on Wednesday afternoon when they learned that Ridley reportedly decided to sign with the Tennessee Titans. But they shouldn’t lose sleep over it — nor should Jacksonville Jaguars fans.
Calvin Ridley Reportedly Signs Massive Contract With Titans
Wednesday began similar to how Tuesday ended: with a neverending onslaught of rumors about Ridley and where he would sign. All along, the Patriots and Jaguars were considered the favorites.
At one point, we got a report about Ridley preferring to stay in Jacksonville over signing on for an expensive life in Massachusetts. A subsequent report indicated his desire to stay with the Jaguars truly was “personal,” and that even a substantially “better” offer from the Patriots wouldn’t be enough.
"The Patriots have made a substantial offer to Calvin Ridley. It's a lot better than the Jaguars. But Ridley, for personal reasons, really does not want to leave Jacksonville and was hoping they'd up their offer. … It is indeed personal." https://t.co/OzfGmVds5Z
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) March 13, 2024
Then, at 5:10 p.m. ET, the reported “darkhorse team” won the Calvin Ridley sweepstakes.
“Sources: The Titans are signing Jaguars star WR Calvin Ridley, completing their FA with a splash,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported on the X (formerly Twitter) platform. “The 29-year-old Ridley gets a 4-year, $92M deal with $50M fully guaranteed.”
Let this be yet another lesson on not reading too much into NFL free agency rumors. The sources behind those rumors often have ulterior motives, and this is just the latest case.
Anyway, about that contract.
Patriots Wise To Avoid Overpaying for Calvin Ridley
Ridley is a very talented receiver, and he clearly was the best wideout available on the open market. But he is not worth $50 million in guaranteed.
Ridley is a low-end No. 1 receiver. He seemingly always is dealing with injuries, and he has just two campaigns of over 1,000 yards in five seasons. He also will turn 30 next December.
MORE: Salary Cap Space by Team
Yes, he lost a season due to a gambling suspension, but being 30 years old is nevertheless a scary age for receivers. There are numerous examples of star receivers falling off after hitting 30.
Whether Ridley will join that list remains to be seen. But even if he’s at his best over the next four seasons, he likely won’t be worth the money he’ll be getting from the Titans.
As for the Patriots, their hopes for landing a new top wideout this offseason aren’t done. Not by a long shot.
New England Still Has Other Options at Reciever
The Patriots know they can’t enter next season with DeMario Douglas and Kendrick Bourne as their best receivers. They’re going to add someone.
But who?
Chad Graff of The Athletic offered a few possibilities on Wednesday. According to Graff, the Patriots will explore trades for Tee Higgins and Brandon Aiyuk. New England also contacted the Los Angeles Chargers about Mike Williams before he was released.
The Patriots could pursue signing Williams, or they could trade for someone like Higgins. They also could kick the tires on the admittedly overrated Marquise Brown, who remained a free agent as of late Wednesday afternoon.
And then there’s the 2024 NFL Draft. The Patriots own the No. 3 overall pick and, if they opt against taking a quarterback, could use it on Marvin Harrison Jr. Or, they could trade down from No. 3, draft someone like Malik Nabers, and select a second-tier QB later on.
New England also owns the 34th overall pick, which probably should be used on a tackle but could also be spent on a receiver. The good news is this year’s draft class is incredibly deep at quarterback, tackle, and receiver.
So, relax, Patriots fans. Signing Ridley certainly would’ve improved New England’s offense, but he wouldn’t have been a cure-all. And he definitely wouldn’t have been worth the money.
Patriots Have Been Busy in NFL Free Agency
New England hasn’t made any splash signings, but it’s executed some solid signings. The Patriots have done an especially good job of locking up their best internal free agents, like Hunter Henry, while allowing expendable players, like Jalen Mills, to walk.
Here’s a full breakdown of each Patriots move completed at the time of this writing:
- QB Jacoby Brissett (one year, $8 million)
- OL Mike Onwenu (three years, $57 million)
- EDGE Anfernee Jennings (three years, $12 million)
- EDGE Josh Uche (one year, $3 million)
- RB Antonio Gibson (three years, $11.25 million)
- TE Austin Hooper (one year, $4.25 million)
- WR Kendrick Bourne (three years, $33 million)
- S Kyle Dugger (one-year transition tag, $13.8 million)
- OT Chukwuma Okorafor (one year, $4 million)
- TE Hunter Henry (three years, $30 million)
- DT Armon Watts (one year; salary unknown)
- LB Sione Takitaki (two years, $10 million)
- WR Jalen Reagor (re-signed for 1.3 million)
- QB Nathan Rourke (re-signed for unknown terms)
- DB Alex Austin (re-signed for unknown terms)
- OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (re-signed for unknown terms)
- LB Christian Elliss (re-signed for unknown terms)
Are the Patriots better now than they were at the end of last season when they went 4-13? No, of course not. And signing Jacoby Brissett obviously doesn’t solve their glaring quarterback issue.
But the new regime, led by head coach Jerod Mayo and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf, has done a solid job. That includes being disciplined enough to not throw a boatload of money at Ridley.
KEEP READING: NFL Free Agency Tracker 2024
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