Calvin Ridley dominates his Titans press conference: his suspension, motivation, work ethic, and 'kicking ass'
The Tennessee Titans added another weapon for quarterback Will Levis by signing former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley in NFL free agency. Ridley inked a massive four-year, $92 million contract, including $50 million guaranteed with Tennessee. After making the contract official, Ridley spoke to Titans media for the first time on Friday. Here's what Ridley […]
The Tennessee Titans added another weapon for quarterback Will Levis by signing former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley in NFL free agency.
Ridley inked a massive four-year, $92 million contract, including $50 million guaranteed with Tennessee.
After making the contract official, Ridley spoke to Titans media for the first time on Friday.
Here's what Ridley said about his new deal, why he picked Tennessee, his past suspension, and much more.
Ridley on Why He Signed with the Titans
Ridley was brutally honest during his intro press conference, admitting that he wanted to initially re-sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars while discussing his reasoning behind signing with Tennessee.
"It's a new start. When I was going through the process of trying to evaluate the teams that I could possibly be with," Ridley said. "… I know that I have certain type of skills and so I'm not scared to go with the good or with who is trying to be good.
"I think playing them twice a year, I was watching them and looking at the things they did have. I know I want to play with another receiver on the other side to help me do what I do best and so I know that they had that. I knew they had a really good defense and they were upcoming and stuff. So I was looking into it. I really wanted to honestly be with the Jags, but there was a lot of things that wasn't wasn't working out for me and then I think the Titans had that other side for me. So I chose Titans. Obviously, the money was pretty good."
Aside from the generous amount of money, Ridley's decision came down to where he felt the most comfortable.
"When Wednesday hit that's when all the teams started calling me and my agent," he said. "Once we got past that and and I heard the teams, I really just broke it down to being more comfortable and what's gonna make me ball and playing back to the level that Calvin Ridley really should be at and I chose here. I mean, I chose here, like I said I've seen the plan, the vision, broke it down with my family and I say 'Hey, I could ball anywhere, so let's go.'"
Ridley on Playing with DeAndre Hopkins
Another reason behind Ridley's decision to come to Tennessee was the opportunity to learn from someone like veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins.
"I train with them all the time. I can learn a lot man from someone who has been consistent. He's just been really consistent his whole career. I mean, just his catching his routes, his mentality to be a dog and a real high-caliber player. So, like I said, I trained with him all the time. I have a bunch of conversations with him. I'm very excited to play with him."
Ridley on His Gambling Suspension
After stepping away from football in October of the 2021 regular season with the Atlanta Falcons, the league ended up suspending Ridley for an entire season after an investigation found that he had been illegally gambling on NFL games.
During his suspension, Ridley said he tried to live his life as normal as possible. He worked out every day and spent time with his family but he missed playing the game.
"I missed a lot about football. It was hard to watch it, it was hard to watch it knowing that I should have been out there and, and honestly, coming from me, I didn't think I did that much," he said. "I think if you would have sat down and talked to me. And we had a nice conversation with the NFL or whoever I had to talk to. I think they would realize like, he's not gambling. Well, he was gambling but he didn't do it the way that they think he did. He was going through some things and if you would have chopped it up with me you could have had a heart and been like, 'Alright we're going to give you six months out of the year.' But at the end of the day, I did something, I dealt with my consequences and it was really good."
Ridley on What Kind of Player Tennessee is Getting in Him
Ridley reminisced on his childhood days of riding bus after bus to watch the best of the best play football as he described what kind of player the Titans are getting in him.
"A good player," Ridley said. "I'm the type of player who deserves this contract. I'm gonna say that. I'm the type of player who you want in the building. Someone who's gonna work for for you, for your organization. Someone who, all day life as a kid rode city buses to high school just to go to school, two of them in the morning. And then I rode two of them after school just to go back to my mom's house. And then I will get on another two buses, to go to another high school to watch them, just to watch them.
"This is why I'm a player, then I would ride two more buses, city buses. Back home. I get home at 11 o'clock, and I gotta get another two city buses in the morning. Just and I'm only doing this for football reasons. So, that's what type of player. Ya'll got a player who's gonna come and work for that for whatever y'all gaming. Ya'll got a player."
Ridley on Kicking Ass in the AFC South
The Titans have a revamped coaching staff and have been nailing it in NFL free agency, making them look like a real contender on paper.
But other teams across the AFC South are doing much the same which has many believing this division is going to be full of competition and lot more fun to watch next fall.
"Very exciting. And I'm a player, it doesn't matter who the other teams have, I don't really care who they have," Ridley said. "I mean, obviously I'll look into it, but I'm a believer in who I'm working with. So we out there running sprints and we sweat in the offseason, we working together and we're becoming brothers. At the end of the day. I believe in everyone on my team. That's when I came from Alabama. I look around, I don't care who the other team is, we don't know. We're gonna work to be good and we're gone kick their ass. I believe in my teammates and the work that we're gonna pay them but this division is getting really good."
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