Tag: Calvin Ridley

Patriots expected to ‘swing big’ for Calvin Ridley in free agency

Calvin Ridley is expected to be a hot commodity this week.

The New England Patriots are expected to “swing big” for wide receiver Calvin Ridley in free agency this week, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday. Dan Graziano of ESPN added that he expects the Carolina Panthers to “at least look into Ridley as well.”

Ridley, 29, was acquired by the Jaguars in a 2022 trade and finished his first season in Jacksonville with 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. However, he had several key drops and miscues after sitting out from football for nearly two years.

While Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has said he hopes to continue building his on-field relationship with Ridley, keeping the receiver won’t be easy.

For one, his price tag is reportedly swelling as the other options in free agency have begun to disappear.

It’s also a delicate situation for the Jaguars, who would lose a second-round pick if they re-sign Ridley before free agency begins on Wednesday. If Jacksonville allows Ridley to hit the market and then re-signs him anytime after 4 p.m. ET, the team would owe the Atlanta Falcons a third-round pick.

But waiting until Wednesday will give every other team at least 48 hours to begin talking contract numbers with Ridley, which will reportedly be “rather gaudy.” And it seems there will be no shortage of teams ready to give Ridley a call.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

NFL insider expects Panthers to have interest in Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr., Calvin Ridley

ESPN’s Dan Graziano expects the Panthers to be in on Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr. if they become available via trade.

The Carolina Panthers are expected to be interested in a handful of this year’s top free-agent wide receivers, even if a few of them aren’t technically free-agent wide receivers anymore.

ESPN NFL insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano emptied their notebooks ahead of tomorrow’s opening of the legal tampering period. Grazino writes the following of the Panthers, who might be willing to wheel and deal to find some quality help for quarterback Bryce Young:

The Panthers are on the hunt for a No. 1 wide receiver, so if — and I say if — Tee Higgins or Michael Pittman Jr. ends up available in a trade, they’d likely be involved. I expect them to at least look into Ridley as well, should he hit the market.

Both Higgins and Pittman Jr., who entered the offseason ticketed for free agency, were both saddled with the franchise tag from their respective squads. If, however, those teams are unable to come to long-term pacts with their pass catchers, then the Panthers could be on the latter end of a tag-and-trade scenario.

Ridley, on the other hand, is about to hit the open market this week. As part of their deal to acquire him back in 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars sent a conditional pick to the Atlanta Falcons—one that could become a second-rounder if he re-signs in Duval.

[lawrence-related id=691842,692648,692623]

Patriots LB Matthew Judon makes pitch to two former Alabama players to join him in New England

Patriots LB makes the case for two former Alabama players to join him in New England

Over the last five to ten years, no team in the NFL has struggled more with finding skill players than the New England Patriots. Whether it was whiffing on Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith in free agency, or some bad draft picks like N’Keal Harry, the roster just simply has not been that good. Nobody knows the struggles better than former Alabama quarterback [autotag]Mac Jone[/autotag]s who has been tasked with winning with the roster.

Heading into 2024, a new leaf has been turned in Foxborough as the Pats and longtime head coach and general manager Bill Belichick parted ways. Belichick is widely regarded as the greatest coach of all-time, but hiss inability to bring in young talent was a big reason for that.

Now, Patriots superstar LB Matthew Judon is making the case for [autotag]Calvin Ridley[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Jacobs[/autotag] to join him up North. Jacobs has been one of the most productive running backs in the league over the past five years with the Raiders and would be the best New England has had in some time. Ridley has been a bit spotty as he has missed time due to personal matter and suspensions, but when he has been on the field he’d been as productive as anyone.

In 2023, Ridley posted 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns with the Jaguars. In 2022, Jacobs was the NFL rushing champion and this past season he led the way in Las Vegas with 1,101 yards and six touchdowns.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Matthew Judon makes pitch for Patriots to sign these two offensive weapons

Matthew Judon wants the Patriots to sign these two offensive playmakers

New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon had two names in mind when thinking of impact offensive playmakers that the team should consider signing in free agency.

The Patriots’ top pass-rusher and unofficial recruiter was at it again when appearing on “Good Morning Football” on Wednesday. He made pitches for Jacksonville Jaguars free agent wide receiver Calvin Ridley and Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs.

“Calvin Ridley, come on over to the red, white and blue. We have a spot for you. Nobody wears zero. It’s all yours. I think you wear like a size nine cleat, we got all the size nine cleats,” said Judon. “…And then, we have a great running back, and we just need another one. So I’m saying, Josh Jacobs, come on out of Nevada. They haven’t treated you well. You won a rushing title, and nobody even talk about it.

“You do that in New England—No. 1 selling jersey, I’m just saying. I think you and Mondre (Rhamondre Stevenson) would be a great one-two punch. It’s a 1A, 1B type thing. I see ya’ll as that. Ya’ll will never get tired. So ya’ll are going to be running crazy, especially if we don’t know who we going to have at quarterback. We definitely need good running backs.”

Wide receiver is one of the biggest needs on the Patriots’ roster. With Mike Evans, Michael Pittman Jr. and Tee Higgins off the table, Ridley has suddenly emerged as the top receiving option in free agency.

It would make sense for the Patriots to be in the thick of things with Ridley’s eventual contract negotiations.

Jacobs, on the other hand, is an interesting option. The market on running backs has greatly depreciated, which means a player with Jacobs’ elite potential might not break the bank.

But is offering Jacobs more money than simply paying to have Ezekiel Elliott return for another season worth it? As Judon noted, the Patriots already have Stevenson on the roster. Kevin Harris also showed strides as a contributor late in the 2023 season.

It might be more cost efficient to keep those two as the main running back options, while using a late-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft on a pass-catching back.

One thing is clear, however: The Patriots are in desperate need of offensive playmakers. Whether it’s Ridley, Jacobs or someone else, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone upset at the team for chasing potential impact players to help turn things around offensively.

Could Patriots pursue this star wide receiver in free agency?

With Mike Evans and Tee Higgins off the table, should the Patriots make signing Calvin Ridley a priority?

As usual, there are plenty of rumors ahead of free agency, and the New England Patriots are linked to one involving a star wideout.

The Athletic’s Chad Graff mentioned in a column how he believes the team will likely switch its focus to Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Calvin Ridley, after Mike Evans signed a two-year deal to stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Graff wrote:

Receiver Calvin Ridley (Jaguars) will be a free agent and could match the productivity of Evans over the next three years. The Patriots will probably pivot to making him their top priority now.

Calvin Ridley is coming off a 1,000-yard season with the Jaguars in 2023. He recorded 76 catches for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns with Jacksonville.

Graff obviously believes the Patriots are still very much in play for Ridley, who would not be a bad option considering the offense needs a productive receiver.

New England has lacked a bona fide top receiver for quite some time, and the former Alabama star would undoubtedly fill a need there.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Jaguars fail to reach terms on deal, place franchise tag on Josh Allen

The Jaguars were unable to reach terms on a long-term contract with Josh Allen and used the franchise tag to keep him.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are placing the franchise tag on pass rusher Josh Allen, the team announced Tuesday.

The tag is due to pay Allen a fully guaranteed $24,007,000 for the 2024 season if the Jaguars can’t get a multi-year extension done before July 15.

While Allen is still be allowed to negotiate with teams as a free agent next week, the tag means the Jaguars will have the opportunity to match any offer he receives. And if Jacksonville declines to match an offer, Allen’s new team would owe the Jaguars two first-round picks.

Those circumstances are rare, though, and the franchise tag almost certainly means Allen will be with the Jaguars in 2024.

The decision to tag Allen is far from good news for the Jaguars, though. It represents a failure to reach terms on a long-term deal with their star defensive player, which threatens to permanently strain the relationship if a contract can’t be reached by July.

The use of the tag on Allen also means the Jaguars won’t be able to use a tag to retain wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who is now just a week away from becoming a free agent. While the team could still re-sign Ridley, it’s a delicate situation made complicated by the terms of the trade and the burgeoning market for the receiver.

Still, the bright side for Jacksonville is that it won’t lose Allen in 2024. The former top 10 draft pick earned Pro Bowl honors for the second time in his career when he racked up 17.5 sacks in 2023, second most in the NFL.

It’s the 11th time the Jaguars have used the franchise tag to keep a player and the fifth straight offseason.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

7 standout wide receivers Patriots could still target in free agency

With Tee Higgins and Mike Evans off the table, here are seven standout free agent receivers the Patriots could still target

The wide receiver market is thinning in free agency with Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tee Higgins being franchise tagged and Mike Evans signing a two-year deal to stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Those are two big-ticket options gone for the receiver-needy New England Patriots.

But there’s no need to hit the panic button. There are still plenty of wide receiver options that could give the Patriots a major boost in free agency. Some even have the potential to sit at the top of the depth chart in the coveted No. 1 receiving role.

With Higgins and Evans off the table, here are seven standout receivers the Patriots could still pursue in free agency.

Top 12 remaining free-agent wide receivers

Tee Higgins and Mike Evans are now off the table. So, who’s left?

Sorry, Carolina Panthers fans. There will probably be no Tee Higgins and definitely no Mike Evans in your team’s immediate future.

But that doesn’t mean they still can’t sign a worthwhile wideout next week.

Here are the top 12 remaining receivers who are slated to hit free agency:

Jaguars reportedly planned to target WR Mike Evans in free agency

The Jaguars didn’t get the chance to go after Mike Evans, who was re-signed by the Buccaneers on Monday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were reportedly one of several teams that had Mike Evans in their free agency plans before the wide receiver re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday.

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons were also interested in Evans.

Instead, the receiver reportedly agreed to a two-year, $52 million contract to stay in Tampa Bay.

That’s a hefty price that the Jaguars may have had a hard time matching. The other negative for Jacksonville is that the rich contract for Evans could continue to push up the already fast rising market for Calvin Ridley, who looks well positioned to be the top receiver to hit free agency.

Jacksonville’s interest in Evans isn’t too surprising. While the team has added a few players to its receiving corps in recent years, there’s not much size at the position with 6’1 Ridley, 5’11 Christian Kirk, and 6’2 Zay Jones at the top of the depth chart. As far back as November, there was talk among Jaguars brass that a taller receiver could be a missing piece for the offense.

The team will have to look elsewhere if it still hopes to add size at wide receiver.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Calvin Ridley would get ‘rather gaudy’ money in free agency, per report

There will likely be a robust market for Calvin Ridley, which makes negotiations for the Jaguars pretty tough.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping to keep wide receiver Calvin Ridley, but it won’t be easy, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

On Sunday morning, Fowler wrote that the market for Ridley’s services is expected to be pretty robust if the receiver hits free agency.

“The Jaguars very much want to re-sign receiver Calvin Ridley, who had a good experience in Jacksonville, but they know that will be tough if he reaches the negotiating period starting March 11. The expectation is he will put up a rather gaudy number on a per-year average. Teams see elite ability there.”

That’s not particularly surprising, and it complicates negotiations for the Jaguars. While the team doesn’t want to lose a player who recorded 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns, his drops and miscues proved costly. On top of that, the Jaguars would lose a second-round pick if they sign him too quickly, so Jacksonville may be forced into allowing teams to negotiate with Ridley if they hope to only lose a third-round pick.

It seems the ideal solution for the Jaguars would be the franchise tag, which would guarantee Ridley $21.8 million in 2024 and allow Jacksonville to avoid a long-term commitment to the receiver.

That scenario only makes sense if the Jaguars don’t need the tag to keep Josh Allen, though. The star pass rusher is the team’s top priority and will undoubtedly receive the tag if he and the Jaguars can’t agree to a long-term deal before the March 5 deadline to apply the tag.

If the Jaguars are forced to use the tag on Allen, it’s looking increasingly difficult for the team to also retain Ridley.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]