Calvin Ridley Agrees to Rookie Contract with Falcons

Wide receiver Calvin Ridley officially signed his rookie contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday, according to SportsTrust Advisors:

Although it took some time to hammer out a final deal, there was little negotiating necessary between Ridley and the Falcons since the collective bargaining agreement essentially sets the financial terms for any player entering the league based on their draft position.

According to Spotrac, Ridley is estimated to earn a total of $10.9 million over four years and count for $1.9 million against the salary cap in 2018.

Ridley left Alabama having caught 224 passes for 2,781 yards and 19 touchdowns in three seasons with the Crimson Tide. Prior to the draft, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked him as the No. 1 receiver in the 2018 class and compared him to former Indianapolis Colts star Reggie Wayne.

Calvin Ridley WR NFL Draft

Ridley should be a much more suitable No. 2 option in the Falcons passing game than Mohamed Sanu, and he and Julio Jones will form an impressive duo of former first-round receivers from Alabama.

B/R's Mike Tanier gave Atlanta an A-minus grade for the selection of Ridley, citing both the Falcons' need for another wideout and Ridley's fit with the offense:

"Depth behind Jones and [Sanu] is an issue with Taylor Gabriel gone. The last thing the Falcons need is a reason to make Steve Sarkisian even more predictable. Ridley may not be a great wide receiver. But he's almost guaranteed to be a good one, and with Jones occupying the defense’s attention and Matt Ryan getting him the ball, he's going to be a blast to watch."

The presence of Jones could help Ridley avoid the bad luck that has befallen other wide receivers selected in the first round in recent years.

Corey Davis, John Ross and Mike Williams combined to catch 45 passes for 470 yards as rookies in 2017. The 2016 draft saw four wideouts off the board in the first round, and Will Fuller was the only one who cracked the 1,000-yard mark through two seasons combined. The 2015 class isn't much better, either, with Amari Cooper the only one to reach the Pro Bowl among the six drafted in the first round.

While expectations will be high for Ridley in 2018, he won't be expected to carry the passing game as long as Jones is healthy.