Former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended in March of 2022. The penalty was punishment for an incident stemming from a stretch of five days in November of 2021 in which the star wideout gambled on NFL games. When is Ridley expected to return, and what are the ramifications of his trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars?
How Long Is Calvin Ridley Out?
Ridley’s suspension is technically for an indefinite period of time no shorter than the duration of the 2022 NFL season. On February 15, 2023, Ridley will be eligible to petition the league for reinstatement.
In a letter explaining the NFL’s reasoning for the suspension, commissioner Roger Goodell wrote, “There is nothing more fundamental to the NFL’s success — and to the reputation of everyone associated with our league — than upholding the integrity of the game.”
Ridley’s contract tolls for the 2022 season, meaning he will be due just over $11 million, though it won’t be the Falcons who pay that money out.
Ridley’s Trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars
On November 1, 2022, the Falcons traded Ridley to the Jaguars for a convoluted combination of conditional draft picks. In exchange for the suspended pass catcher, Jacksonville traded a 2023 pick and a 2024 pick, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
As for the 2023 selection, it’s a sixth-round pick that becomes a fifth-round pick if Ridley gets reinstated by a particular date.
As for the 2024 selection, if Ridley makes the team in 2024, it’s at least a fourth. If he hits a playing-time milestone, it becomes a third. If the Jaguars sign Ridley to a long-term extension, it becomes a second.
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If he’s reinstated for the 2023 season, Ridley will join Christian Kirk and Zay Jones as the primary weapons for Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and head coach Doug Pederson.
As for Atlanta, the team will forge ahead with Kyle Pitts and Drake London as its top pass-catching duo with extra assets in hand to rebuild the team under head coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot.
Ridley, a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Alabama, made the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team in 2018. In 2020, he hauled in 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns en route to a second-team All-Pro selection. He played in just five games in 2021 before stepping away due to mental health concerns.