March 10, 2022
So here's some immediate fallout from Calvin Ridley's suspension: Turns out he was almost an Eagle.
Appearing on John Clark's Takeoff podcast (via NBC Sports Philadelphia), FOX Sports' NFL insider Jay Glazer revealed that the Eagles were closing in on a trade for the Falcons wide receiver. Atlanta, however, had to pull out because of the investigation and eventual indefinite suspension of Ridley for betting on games.
From Glazer:
“It was actually funny because they were one of the teams, they were close to a deal with Atlanta for Calvin Ridley and Atlanta backed out at the last second, and Philly was like, ‘What’s going on?’ They couldn’t really tell them. So Philly wasn’t too happy and then after, looked at it like, ‘Alright, Atlanta, thanks.’ Atlanta did business the right way. They weren’t allowed to say anything, again, the legalities of it, couldn’t say a word. They just had to pull out.
“But, man, if Philly could have gotten a talent like Calvin Ridley when he didn’t have these issues, that would have been good for them. Again, they’re aggressive. [General manger Howie Roseman] is always really aggressive. That would have been big, especially with a lot of Alabama guys. That would have been a good one had he not had the issues, but he did. So Atlanta just had to pull out and couldn’t tell them for a couple weeks why.” [Takeoff Podcast / NBC Sports Philadelphia]
Initial reaction: Brutal.
Ridley, 27, didn't have a memorable 2021 season. He played in just five games for the Falcons, catching 31 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns before stepping away from the team for mental health reasons.
But prior to that, he had back-to-back 800-plus yard seasons in 2018 and 2019, then broke out in 2020 with 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns.
Yup, Eagles almost had deal done for Calvin Ridley last month… Falcons backed out but weren’t able to tell Eagles why. They actually handled it great and after a lot of confusion Philly respected them for how they handled a very different situation. Eagles swung away @NFLonFOX
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) March 10, 2022
He would've made an excellent 1-2 punch with DeVonta Smith, and would've further reinforced the Alabama connection on the Eagles' offense between himself, Smith, quarterback Jalen Hurts, and lineman Landon Dickerson.
What the Eagles would've had to give up in the deal is unclear. Ridley was entering the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, which could've have been a factor in the final asking price since he would need to be re-signed after 2022.
Ridley was suspended through at least the upcoming season after a league investigation found he gambled on NFL games over a five-day stretch while he was away from the Falcons in November 2021, including multi-legged parlays on games that involved Atlanta.
Upon the announcement of Ridley's suspension, the Falcons released a statement saying they were made aware of the league's investigation on Feb. 9, which should give a general window of when the Eagles' trade talks were happening.
The earliest Ridley can apply for reinstatement is Feb. 15, 2023.
As for the Eagles, they're going to have to look elsewhere for receiver help.
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