Calvin Ridley appears earmarked to reach free agency, where he'll be one of the most coveted players at the position.
The Jaguars are unlikely to re-sign the productive five-year veteran pass catcher, and that's because doing so would trigger the conditional draft pick Jacksonville sent the Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 trade that brought the wide receiver to Duval, escalating from a third-round pick to a second-round choice in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Ridley is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career, leading the Jaguars with 1,016 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
Through the first five seasons of his career Ridley, who was suspended for the 2022 campaign for violating the NFL's gambling policy, has caught 324 passes for 4,358 yards and 36 touchdowns.
At age 29, Ridley is primed to cash in this offseason. According to Spotrac, Ridley could command a four-year deal worth upwards of $68.2 million while averaging 17 million annually.
Given the fact that seven teams begin the offseason with at least $60 million in cap space, and several of those teams either fielding young quarterbacks or expected to draft one this spring, Ridley should see a strong market.
Here's a look at Ridley's five best fits and most likely free agent destinations.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Upgrading Patrick Mahomes' wide receiving corps will be general manager Brett Veach's top priority, after figuring out whether Kansas City will be able to keep All-Pros Chris Jones and L'Jarius Sneed in a Chiefs uniform.
Ridley is a prototypical fit for the Chiefs' offense, and would fill the reigning two-time Super Bowl champions' most glaring need. Likely to be one of the top free agents available at the position, Ridley would headline a receiving corps alongside emerging star Rashee Rice. Ridley and Rice would arguably be the most prolific duo Mahomes has had at his disposal in his career, and certainly the most explosive since Tyreek Hill's departure.
2. Chicago Bears
Momentum seems to be building towards the Bears trading Justin Fields, and selecting a quarterback such as Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL Draft. If that is general manager Ryan Poles' chosen path forward, it becomes imperative to surround Chicago's next young franchise quarterback with game-altering wide receivers.
While D.J. Moore is an explosive deep threat, averaging a whopping 5.7 yards per reception, after the catch, according to Pro Football Focus, Ridley is a consistent and dynamic weapon, especially in the red zone. Dropping a young quarterback into a ready-made and productive offense is the quickest path to reaching his potential at the NFL level.
Poles and the Bears have the flexibility with upwards of $70 million in cap space to make that a reality in 2024, with Ridley playing a starring role.
3. Houston Texans
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The Texans were one of the NFL's most pleasant surprises in 2023. With C.J. Stroud on a rookie contract, general manager Nick Caserio has a window of flexibility to continue to add explosive weapons around his young quarterback to raise the franchise's potential in 2024 and beyond.
Houston boasts young and potentially elite wide receivers in Nico Collins and Tank Dell, but dropping Ridley's experience and big-play ability into Stroud's supporting cast is the type of move that elevates the entire offense. Ridley's ability to frequently take the top off of opposing defenses wouldn't just create opportunities for Stroud in the deep passing game, but would make Dell an even more effective weapon thanks to the space created by safeties having to respect Ridley's big-play ability.
Thanks to the Texans' $62.2 million in cap space, if Caserio believes Ridley is a fit, financials won't be a hurdle to pry a deep threat away from a division rival.
4. Washington Commanders
Washington, and its new ownership group, are armed with a league-high $83.54 million in cap space as the offseason begins. More importantly, the Commanders' rebuild is being overseen by respected general manager Adam Peters with Lance Newmark serving as his top lieutenant. Simply put, the pieces are in place for a rapid turnaround in the nation's capital.
A major piece for the Commanders making major strides towards a return to the postseason and competing for Super Bowls could prove to be Ridley. While it's true that Washington boasts a dynamic receiving duo in Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, Ridley represents the opportunity to build the most explosive trio of wide receivers in the league.
Similarly to the Bears, Washington will likely select a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick — or possibly make a trade for Justin Fields. But, a player like Ridley, as a key offseason addition could prove pivotal to, said quarterback seeing immediate success in 2024.
5. Carolina Panthers
One year after trading away D.J. Moore, the Panthers would be wise to give Bryce Young some significant help by adding a significant weapon such as Ridley.
The Panthers need to see Stroud make major strides in his second season, and with new offensive-minded head coach Dave Canales in place, Ridley is the type of weapon who can throw the Panthers' playbook wide open. Given that the Panthers won't go on the clock until the second round of April's draft, mining a No. 1 wide receiver seems like the kind of problem Carolina will throw significant money at, rather than relying on a mid-round rookie to be immediately productive at the NFL level.
