Why Titans free agent contract with Calvin Ridley will prove to be good value
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans made a big splash in free agency on Wednesday with the signing of star wide receiver Calvin Ridley to a four-year, $92 million contract. Ridley played for the division rival Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023 and had 76 catches, 1,016 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns. It's a massive addition to the […]
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans made a big splash in free agency on Wednesday with the signing of star wide receiver Calvin Ridley to a four-year, $92 million contract.
Ridley played for the division rival Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023 and had 76 catches, 1,016 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns. It's a massive addition to the Titans' offense and a needed upgrade at wide out.
While $92 million may seem like an overpay at first glance, I fully believe that the Titans are getting good value with Ridley on a four-year contract.
According to Spotrac, an AAV (Average Annual Value) of $23 million makes Ridley the 9th highest paid wide receiver in football. The guaranteed $50 million Ridley is getting is 10th among active wide receiver contracts.
Why is that appropriate value? I think it places Ridley right into the tier of wide receivers that he belongs in.
When Christian Kirk was a free agent in 2021, he had never surpassed 1,000 yards in a single-season in his career. He landed a four-year, $72 million deal from the Jaguars. That's $18 million in AAV. I think Ridley has a better resumé and much higher upside than Kirk, even now.
$23 million in AAV puts Ridley right below players like A.J. Brown, Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel, D.K. Metcalf, and the recently extended Michael Pittman Jr. As he should be. All of those players also got more guaranteed money in their contracts that had the total guarantees closer to $60 million.
Based on what we saw last season, Ridley is not in that tier. But I think he could be moving forward. Let's not forget that in 2020, Ridley was the WR3 in yards per game (91.6). Only Stefon Diggs and Davante Adams had more. That might seem like a long time ago, but Ridley is not that far removed from the 2020 campaign. Ridley stepped away from football for the back half of the 2021 season, then missed the entire 2022 season due to a gambling suspension.
Ridley is not your typical 29-year-old wide receiver. He has only played in 66 NFL games in his career. That's less than four full seasons nowadays. He should have plenty left in the tank.
When he is on the field, Ridley can line up anywhere in the formation. He has the versatility that will allow Brian Callahan to get really creative with his offense. His ability to haul in deep passes down the field will also compliment DeAndre Hopkins well and be a good asset for a quarterback in Will Levis who likes to air it out.
Perhaps I'm more optimistic than most, but I think 2023 was just the tip of the iceberg for what Ridley can be. He's still a dangerous deep threat with the ability to create seperation and the speed to run away from defenders. He was Top 12 in "yards before catch" among NFL WRs in 2023. He was also 1 of 17 NFL wide receivers to have 4+ games with 100+ receiving yards and 1 of 17 to score 8+ touchdowns.
With those numbers and the upside we saw in 2020, I don't think it's crazy for his contract to value him as a fringe Top 10 wide receiver. Sure, there's a tax for non-contenders that's probably a factor here, but Tennessee needed a playmaker. They have a shiny new offensive head coach in Brian Callahan and a young quarterback in Will Levis that could use some speed around him. Plus…the Titans had the money to spend. So why not pay a little extra to address a major position of need?
This is adequate value. This is what you pay in free agency for a player of this caliber. Calvin Ridley agrees, and I'll call my shot and say this is going to end up looking like a good contract for Tennessee.
