Jaguars' Calvin Ridley Officially Applies For Reinstatement

The former first-rounder has filed his paper work with the NFL.

Calvin Ridley has turned in his paperwork to be reinstated and officially join the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ridley's application for reinstatement was first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. 

#Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley, who was suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games during the 2021 season, is applying for reinstatement today, source said. He was suspended for all of the 2022 season and is eligible to petition for reinstatement today.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 15, 2023

"We feel that way, we feel strongly that way, obviously. It’ll be after the Super Bowl I think before we know," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said at the end of the season about Ridley being reinstated. 

“We can’t send him anything. Technically, after today, by the CBA and everything in this dark period where we can’t do football with anybody outside of just reaching out and seeing how they’re doing and how their offseason is going. Once he is cleared, we can make those contacts. Football wise, it wouldn’t be until April 17th when we come back for the offseason program.

With his contract pausing through the suspension, Ridley did not cost the Jaguars anything in 2022. He is set to play on the fifth year of his rookie contract in 2023, worth $11.116 million.

If Ridley is reinstated, the deal will include the 2023 fifth-rounder, but if he isn’t, then it will turn into a sixth-round pick. The 2024 pick will be at least a fourth-rounder if Ridley makes the team. If he hits a play-time milestone, it’ll be a third-rounder. But, if the Jaguars are able to get a long-term deal done, it will be a second-rounder. 

The exact timeline for Ridley's reinstatement is unclear, though the anticipation is for Ridley to eventually be approved to return to the field and, ultimately, join the Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. The last player to be reinstated after being suspended for gambling was former defensive back Josh Shaw, who was reinstated on March 20 -- roughly six weeks after the Super Bowl in 2020.

Ridley, the No. 26 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, caught 217 passes for 3,061 yards and 26 touchdowns in his first three seasons. He played in five games in 2021 before stepping away from the team, catching 31 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.