Jaguars may be the winners regarding their prized free agent signing with a division rival

Well, that one is going to sting for a while as the Jacksonville Jaguars just lost their top free agent to a division rival.  While it may look bad right now, it very well could age in the favor of the Jaguars. The contract that the Tennessee Titans just gave Calvin Ridley is one that […]

Brandon Little — Ohio State Buckeyes & Cleveland Browns News Writer
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Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) tumbles after catches a pass but ruled incomplete during the fourth quarter of a regular season NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023 at EverB...
Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union-USA TODAY NETWORK

Well, that one is going to sting for a while as the Jacksonville Jaguars just lost their top free agent to a division rival. 

While it may look bad right now, it very well could age in the favor of the Jaguars. The contract that the Tennessee Titans just gave Calvin Ridley is one that was smart to stay away from.

Ridley was just handed a contract for four years and $92 million with $50 million guaranteed. The $23 million APY is more than the younger Michael Pittman Jr. just got from the Indianapolis Colts ($21.8 million APY). It is a very expensive deal for a wide receiver who will turn 30 years old during the 2024 season.

When you factor in the year-long suspension that Ridley had in 2022, it is very tough to envision paying Ridley top-10 money at his position. Along with Pittman, other players making less than Ridley now are D.J. Moore, Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, and Tee Higgins. All of these players are a step above Ridley in talent level and I believe that most would agree with that.

Jacksonville signed Gabe Davis this off-season and he will relieve some of the pain that’ll be felt by Ridley’s departure within the offense. Face it though, he’s not Ridley and wasn’t signed to be. Jacksonville would have liked to have had Ridley back but that is a deal you tip your cap to the agent on.

In his one season with the Jaguars, Ridley had 1,018 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games played. Now, the Jaguars will need to likely target a wideout at pick No. 17 in next month’s draft. The good news for them is that this is a good draft to need a wide receiver early. 

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