As Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley enters his fourth season in the league, the team will soon have to make a decision regarding his future. Given Ridley’s production, the Falcons are going to do whatever it takes to keep him in Atlanta. But when is a long-term deal likely to place?
Both Ridley and tight end Hayden Hurst were selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft and Atlanta has until May 3 to decide whether or not to exercise their fifth-year options.
Ridley weighed in on the issue in response to an article shared by The Falcoholic on Twitter, saying the team might as well give him a contract extension.
Might as well extend I’m ready lol
— CALVIN RIDLEY (@CalvinRidley1) January 28, 2021
This would become Terry Fontenot‘s first major contract negotiation since taking over as general manager of the Falcons. It’s in the team’s best interest to get a deal done with Ridley before the 2021 NFL draft because it would give Atlanta more options this offseason.
Also, it is important to remember the Falcons did not originally draft the third-year tight end, but acquired him via trade with the Baltimore Ravens. The Falcons could be tempted decline Hurst’s fifth-year option and let him test the market in 2022. However, this would pit Hurst in the same free agency pool as Foye Oluokun, Russell Gage and Isaiah Oliver.
If the Falcons find themselves trading down in the draft, one option could be to go after Florida tight end Kyle Pitts to save money for 2022. Pitts is undoubtedly the best tight end in the draft and proved to be nearly impossible to cover at times. The Gators play-maker has the versatility to line up at the receiver position as well.
It’s safe to say that Fontenot has some potentially franchise-defining decisions to make in the coming months.
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