Jaguars Spent Months Researching Calvin Ridley Before Trade

Jacksonville was strategic in its move to acquire the suspended former Falcons wide receiver.

Before Trent Baalke made the decision to trade for wide receiver Calvin Ridley on Tuesday, the Jaguars general manager did his homework on the former Falcons receiver.

Baalke spent roughly four months conducting interviews with people close to Ridley as well as undertaking complex negotiations before acquiring the suspended receiver. In fact, the discussions between Jaguars coach Doug Pederson and Baalke regarding the acquisition of Ridley began in March as the franchise was searching for a quality wideout.

Instead of trying to trade for Ridley at that time, the Jaguars signed Christian Kirk on a four-year, $72 million deal and Zay Jones on a three-year, $24 million pact. However, Baalke never lost sight of Ridley. 

Despite Ridley currently serving a suspension of at least one year from the NFL for betting on league games during the 2021 season, Baalke made the decision to acquire Ridley at the trade deadline instead of waiting for him to be reinstated, saying the “timing was right” and that it didn’t take away from what the franchise was attempting to do this season.

“We were confident in the due diligence that we did, who we talked to or what,” Baalke said, per ESPN’s Mike DiRocco. “We’re confident in the work that we did and we feel very good about the decision or trade for Calvin.”

In March, the league found that Ridley bet on NFL games during a five-game stretch in November 2021, placing parlay bets on his phone while out of the state, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Ridley, 27, can apply for reinstatement starting on Feb. 15, 2023. He spent four seasons with the Falcons, recording 248 receptions for 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns. Prior to the suspension, which was handed down in March, Ridley played in only five games for Atlanta last season. He took a leave of absence from the team after Week 7 to focus on his mental health.

The Jaguars (2-6) currently sit in third place in the AFC South standings heading into Week 9. 

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