Mike Evans' Return to Tampa Bay Makes Jaguars' Calvin Ridley the No. 1 FA WR

The odds of Calvin Ridley returning to Jacksonville just dwindled.

The Jacksonville Jaguars just had a major roadblock go up in their attempts to retain Calvin Ridley. 

Ridley, who is set to become a free agent on March 13 after one year with the Jaguars, is now set to be the No. 1 receiver in all of free agency after Mike Evans re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a two-year, $52 million deal on Monday morning. 

Before free agency begins next week, the Buccaneers and five-time Pro-Bowl WR Mike Evans reached agreement on a two-year, $52 million that includes $35 million guaranteed, per his agent @DerykGilmore.

Evans now has a real chance to start and finish his career in Tampa as a Buc. pic.twitter.com/tj68Vk9YpG

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2024

With Evans now officially off the board, the Jaguars will likely have to fend off the market and see Ridley's price tag explode as teams like the Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, and New England Patriots try to find a No. 1 receiver in free agency. 

This puts the Jaguars into a corner and heavily increases the chances of them losing Ridley after just 17 games, meaning they lost a fifth- and a third-round pick for a rental. 

If the Jaguars sign Ridley to a contract extension before March 13, they will owe the Atlanta Falcons a second-round pick as opposed to a third-round selection. In a deep draft where No. 48 overall could be an immensely valuable resource, this seems unlikely.

If the Jaguars were to franchise tag Ridley, they would only be losing their third-round selection. But with the franchise tag deadline set to be Tuesday at 4 p.m., it seems more likely the Jaguars will use the tag on pass-rusher Josh Allen.

“Well, we’re not real concerned with that, whether it’s a second or third round. We’re just going to work with the player and see if we can come to an agreement whether that’s before that compensation changes or not, that remains to be the same. We’re more focused on the player," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday.

“Yeah, we’re going to continue to have conversations with all of it. We’ve got a lot of work to do this offseason. I had a meeting with Calvin [Ridley] the other day in my office. I had a great talk with Calvin, I know exactly where he’s at and he knows exactly where we’re at. We’re just going to continue to work with all of these players and try to come to some form of compromise, some form of resolution as the weeks go on.”

Ridley recorded the second 1,000-yard season in his career in 2023, catching 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. He also made it through the entire season healthy, starting all 17 games after serving a season-long suspension in 2022 and missing most of the 2021 season.