Calvin Ridley Signing Jags Contract Would Land Falcons Higher NFL Draft Pick in Trade

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley's future with the organization also has an impact on the Atlanta Falcons' draft capital.

Ridley was acquired by the Jaguars in a Nov. 2022 trade with the Falcons for a 2023 draft selection and a conditional 2024 pick.

According to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, the condition is that Atlanta receives Jacksonville's 2024 second-round draft pick if the receiver re-signs with the Jaguars in free agency. If Ridley chooses to go elsewhere, the Falcons receive a 2024 third-round pick instead.

While Jacksonville's front office may hesitate to offer him a contract due to the loss of crucial draft capital, Pro Bowl quarterback Trevor Lawrence remains interested in keeping Ridley as a Jaguar for the foreseeable future.

"We've built a good relationship over the past year," Lawrence said on Feb. 7 (h/t Tony Anderson of USA Today). "We took some big strides this year and I know another year playing together, it's only going to get better. And you got to think about it too, he's been out for two years; his was his first year back and I thought he did some really great things."

Ridley stepped away from football early in the 2021 season for mental health reasons before he was suspended for his entire 2022 campaign for betting on NFL games.

He started in all 17 contests during the Jaguars' 2023 season, hauling in 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns.

It seems as though both Lawrence and the Falcons would prefer to see him remain in Jacksonville moving forward but for separate reasons.