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Turron Davenport, ESPN
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After facing each other twice during the regular season, the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars faced off for a third time in a free agency battle for wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
The Titans swooped in at the last minute and signed Ridley to a four-year, $92 million contract that included $50 million guaranteed after finishing with 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns for the Jaguars last season.
Ridley’s decision to join the Titans over the Jaguars was a tough one.
“I really wanted to honestly be with the Jags, but there was a lot of things that wasn’t working out for me,” Ridley said during his introductory news conference. “Then obviously the money was pretty good, so I went with that and yeah, I’m here.”
Ridley added that he waited until Wednesday to finally make the decision, which is interesting considering how that impacted one of the conditions in the Jaguars’ trade to acquire him from the Atlanta Falcons two years ago.
The Falcons traded Ridley to Jacksonville for conditional picks in the sixth round (2023) and fourth round (2024). The 2023 pick become a fifth-rounder after Ridley was reinstated in 2023 from his indefinite suspension for gambling. The 2024 pick would have become a second-round pick if Jacksonville had signed Ridley to an extension before Wednesday. Now they’ll only have to send a third-round pick to Atlanta.
Although Ridley’s return to the field was a success for Jacksonville last season, he alluded to not being comfortable at times.
It wasn’t just the money that led to Ridley’s decision to sign with Tennessee. Ridley already had a relationship with new Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz who was Jacksonville’s pass game coordinator last season.
Ridley also connected with the Titans’ front office late in the negotiating process.
“I just feel I’m going to be able to be a grown man here,” Ridley said. “This team showed me they want me here for a while and they told me already they’re going to treat me like a grown man.”
Signing a 29-year-old receiver to a four-year contract could be met with skepticism. But in Ridley’s mind, age is just a number.
“I’m 29 on paper,” Ridley said with a smile. “But I’m really like 25 years old in real life.”
Source: www.espn.com