Falcons QB Desmond Ridder Has 'Chip on His Shoulder' After Lamar Jackson Trade Rumors

Lamar Jackson was a trade option for the Atlanta Falcons, but the team is sticking with Desmond Ridder.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 19, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder has a lot to prove in his second season.

While the organization that drafted him in the third round of last year's draft believes in him, there are still many doubters from outside the walls of the Falcons facility.

Many believe the Falcons should have made a big splash and traded for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the offseason, and some still think it would be wise for Atlanta to trade up from the No. 8 spot in next week's draft to take one of the top signal callers. Despite all of that, Atlanta wants to hold on to Ridder and give him a shot in 2023, but the Cincinnati Bearcat has heard the outside noise.

"I have a TV in my house," Ridder said via Josh Kendall of The Athletic. "Yeah, it puts a chip on my shoulder."

A third-round pick out of Cincinnati, Ridder was handed the keys to the Falcons offense in December after the team's bye week following a continuous string of lackluster performances from incumbent starter Marcus Mariota.

Ridder lost his first two starts, knocking the Falcons out of the playoff race, but in two games with the pressure drifting away, Ridder pulled together a pair of wins to end the season. Those wins were enough to give Ridder the keys to the offense for 2023, and he'll look to prove the Falcons right by sticking by him and his critics wrong this upcoming season.

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Published Apr 19, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.