NFL Rumors: Calvin Ridley Will Be No. 1 WR for 'Several Teams' in 2024 Free Agency

If the Jacksonville Jaguars hope to bring back Calvin Ridley, they are going to have a fight on their hands from other teams interested in the veteran wide receiver.

Per NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe, Ridley will be the top-ranked wideout for "several teams" that will be willing to pay him top-of-the-market money in free agency.

The likelihood of Ridley hitting the open market increased on Tuesday when NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Jaguars were going to use the franchise tag on star edge-rusher Josh Allen.

The Jaguars acquired Ridley from the Atlanta Falcons in November 2022. Terms of the deal were unique because he was suspended at that point for violating the NFL's gambling policy.

Ridley was reinstated by the league in March 2023. The Falcons received a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft after he was reinstated. They also received a conditional 2024 pick that could be as high as a second-rounder if he signed a long-term deal with Jacksonville.

The 2024 pick is at least a third-rounder right now because Ridley hit certain playing-time milestones. It's still possible he could return to the Jaguars on a long-term extension, but it seems like there will be stiff competition.

Spotrac's Michael Ginnitti is projecting Ridley will sign a three-year, $66 million deal with $42 million in practical guarantees.

Since Tee Higgins received the franchise tag from the Cincinnati Bengals and Mike Evans agreed to a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the market for wide receivers is drying up quickly before free agency even begins.

Michael Pittman Jr. is still talking with the Indianapolis Colts about a long-term deal, but general manager Chris Ballard has been clear they will use the tag to keep him off the market.

Assuming Pittman gets tagged, that will leave Ridley, Marquise Brown, Gabriel Davis and Darnell Mooney as the best free-agent receivers.

Even though Ridley had a productive season in Jacksonville, his week-to-week consistency was a problem. He had four games with at least 100 receiving yards, compared to nine games with fewer than 50 yards.

Ridley did manage to surpass the 1,000-yard mark and led the team with eight touchdown receptions.

The Jaguars' 2023 season ended in disappointment after making the playoffs the previous year. They lost five of their last six games after an 8-3 start to finish second in the AFC South to the Houston Texans.