Right up until the Tennessee Titans unexpectedly signed him in free agency, it looked like wide receiver Calvin Ridley was going to return to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
During his introductory press conference on Friday, Ridley said he wanted to go back to the Jags but it simply “wasn’t working out” and he was “uncomfortable at times” with the situation.
“I was just a little uncomfortable at times,” Ridley said, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “(The Titans) showed me that they want me here for a while. They told me already that they’re going to treat me as a grown man.”
A hot topic pertaining to Ridley and his time with the Jags was his inconsistent production.
Granted, he did top 1,000 yards, but he also had eight games in which he had 40 yards or less. Some blame that on Ridley himself, but others believe the Jags simply didn’t use him properly.
Regardless, the Alabama product looks at his time in Jacksonville as a win.
“I didn’t come late to nothing. I respected (the Jaguars) and everybody in the building,” Ridley said, per Terry McCormick of the Associated Press. “I look at it as a win for me personally, when I have to think about it like that. If I don’t, I’m going to think I’m a failure when I did pretty decent with two years off, I did pretty decent. I look at it as that.”
There has been concern about Ridley getting a long-term contract at the age of 29, but the former first-round pick believes that number doesn’t really reflect how he feels and he believes his arrow is pointing up.
“I’m ready to take off,” Ridley said, while also adding “I’m 29 on paper, but I’m probably like 25 for real to be honest with you.”
It’s understandable why Ridley feels that way. After all, he’s only played four full seasons in the NFL. He appeared in just five games in 2021 and was then suspended for the entirety of the 2022 campaign.
And, knowing that context, it makes his 1,000-yard season in 2023 more impressive.
As far as quarterback Will Levis is concerned, Ridley looks forward to working with the second-year signal-caller and believes his being a veteran will make communication with the Kentucky product easier.
“What I’m most excited about is that he’s young, and I’m a vet, and I feel like when you’re in that role, it’ll be a little more easier for me to talk to him and communicate with him,” Ridley said. “I’m excited that he’s young and probably willing to learn, but I’m older and willing to learn too.”
