The Tennessee Titans and running back Calvin Ridley have agreed to a four-year, $92 million deal in one of the more surprising deals of the free agent season.NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the deal includes $50 million in fully guaranteed. money .
Ridley reportedly held talks with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots before the Titans rushed to a deal.Ridley spent the 2023 season with the Jaguars after sitting out the entire 2022 campaign due to a gambling ban. Injuries and mental health issues limited him to just five games in 2021.
Playing in all 17 games for the Jaguars, Ridley had 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. Although his performance was plagued by inconsistency, Ridley had four 100-yard games and led the team in receiving.”I think I proved I can still run. As long as I can run and cut, I know. I can play,” Ridley told the newsroom in January. “I had to be more focused, make more contact and understand my routine faster. Discuss how to get back into that flow faster – it’s not as easy as people think.
I tried to figure it out faster and remember those situations, those individual situations, just figure out the game. I believe that next year will definitely be better for me. Just getting this year under his belt, though, was important.”The Jaguars and Patriots were considered heavy favorites for Ridley’s services throughout his free agency. His landing in Tennessee is a surprising and somewhat puzzling scratch given the record of the Titans.\ The nTitans appear set to begin a rebuilding season in 2024 after longtime quarterback Ryan Tannehill and coach Derrick Henry left in free agency.
Ridley turns 30 in December and is also a wide receiver. DeAndre Hopkins is 32. On paper, those timelines don’t suit second-year quarterback Will Levis or even running backs Tony Pollard, 26, and Tyjae Spears, 22.
Tennessee’s offer likely exceeded the numbers offered by Jacksonville and New England, while Ridley became one of the NFL’s highest-paid receivers without an elite resume. He never made a Pro Bowl and had more games last season with less than 40 yards (eight) than 100 yards (four).All of this makes Ridley the third most guaranteed receiver in NFL history. to the receiver. Even with a rising salary cap, it’s hard to see the logic behind this trade.
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