New Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Calvin Ridley had quite the debut last Sunday, catching eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in the 10-point Week 1 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. His game was also somewhat of a win for his former team in the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons traded Ridley to Jacksonville at last year's trade deadline while the veteran served his year-long suspension for gambling on the NFL. The Falcons received a 2023 fifth-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-rounder. Ridley being active Week 1 locked in that 2024 fourth-round pick for Atlanta, according to ESPN. However, there are still achievable conditions which could improve that pick.
ESPN reports that the 2024 fourth-rounder could become a third-round pick if Ridley plays at least 60% of the Jaguars' offensive snaps or records 75 receptions or 1,000 receiving yards. The pick could also become a second-rounder if Ridley signs an extension with Jacksonville. If Week 1 was any indication, Atlanta's pick isn't done gaining value.
Ridley was selected by the Falcons with the No. 26 overall pick out of Alabama in 2018. He averaged 68.2 receiving yards per game in four years with Atlanta, and his best campaign came in 2020, when he caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. Ridley stepped away from the Falcons after just five games in 2021 citing mental health reasons, and then was suspended that following offseason. However, Ridley is clearly rejuvenated by this change of scenery, and it gives the Falcons a better chance at a better pick.
