FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Embattled and suspended Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for NFL draft compensation, just hours before the league’s 4 p.m. trading deadline Tuesday, the team announced.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s request to interview general manager Terry Fontenot about the trade deadline previously was declined by the team.
“As our team continues its growth, we continue our daily focus on improving our roster and believe this move is the best decision to make at this time,” Fontenot said in a statement released by the team. “We appreciate Calvin’s contributions to the organization and wish him well on his next steps.”
NFL Media was first to report the trade. The Falcons are set to receive a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick. The latter could turn into a second- or third-round pick under certain conditions, including Ridley signing long term with the Jaguars.
Ridley, who left the Falcons midseason in 2021 to tend to his mental well-being, was suspended indefinitely, at least through the 2022 season, for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
Ridley bet on NFL games last season during a five-day stretch in late November, when he was away from the team on the reserve/non-football illness list, according to the NFL.
Ridley, who was set to enter the fifth year of his contract that was to pay him $11.1 million, can apply for reinstatement Feb. 15. He has the right to appeal the suspension.
Ridley left the team Oct. 31 and said in a social media post he wanted to work on his mental well-being. He played in only five games in 2021. He did not return to the team and was placed on the non-football injured list Nov. 5.
Ridley was selected in the first round (26th overall) in the 2018 draft. He has 248 catches for 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns over three-plus seasons.
Ridley became the fifth player in NFL history suspended for gambling.
The Jaguars apparently are fine with waiting for his suspension to be lifted.
Over his first three seasons in the NFL, Ridley’s career arc was ahead of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison.
Both of the slightly built receivers used crafty footwork and strong hands to make plays. Ridley caught 217 passes in his first three seasons to Harrison’s 196 and had more receiving yards (3,061 to 2,478).
But in 2021, Ridley’s fourth season, things went haywire.
Ridley’s story is a cautionary tale about gambling that is complicated by his departure from the team in the middle of the 2021 season to deal with mental health issues. He played in only five games, and it was discovered later that he bet on NFL games. He was suspended indefinitely March 7.
Prohibitions against betting on NFL games by players long has been the rule. The league’s fear is that if a player gambles, he’ll go into debt, be compromised and somehow be tempted to shave a game.
