What’s next for Patriots after Calvin Ridley reportedly signs with Titans?
The Patriots and Jaguars were expected to be the two finalists for Ridley before the Titans swooped in.
The Patriots will reportedly have to look elsewhere for a No. 1 receiver this offseason.
For the second year in a row, New England lost out on a bidding war to the Titans for a proven pass-catcher, as NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that wide receiver Calvin Ridley is signing a four-year, $92 million contract with Tennessee.
According to OverTheCap, Ridley’s new deal with the Titans stands as the NFL’s sixth-richest contract awarded to a wideout by total value.
The Patriots and Jaguars — Ridley’s former team — were widely regarded as the two finalists for the 29-year-old receiver’s services.
But The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported on X Wednesday evening that several other teams were also “involved” in contract talks with Ridley, who stood as the top pass-catcher on the free-agent market.
Ridley’s decision to sign elsewhere doesn’t seem like it was due to a lack of effort or interest on the part of the Patriots.
During an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger & Mazz” Wednesday afternoon, Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard reported the Patriots made a “substantial” offer to Ridley in an effort to add a No. 1 wideout to their beleaguered offensive unit.
After reports first emerged about Ridley signing with the Titans, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer echoed a similar sentiment about New England’s efforts to sign the former University of Alabama standout.
“We’ll see where the final numbers come out—but at $23 million per, this shapes up as an incredibly strong deal,” Breer posted on X about Ridley’s contract with the Titans. “I’d heard yesterday the Patriots were at right around $22 million per, and the Jags were just shy of $20 million per.”
Given New England’s lack of a proven No. 1 wideout over the last few seasons, Ridley stood as an ideal fit — especially with the Patriots flush with cap space this offseason.
Ridley put together a strong season in Jacksonville in 2023, reeling in 76 catches for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. He has surpassed 800 receiving yards another three times in his NFL career, headlined by a dominant 2020 campaign where he caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns with the Falcons.
Last July, the Patriots lost out to the Titans in the free-agent sweepstakes for DeAndre Hopkins — who signed a two-year contract worth up to $32 million with Tennessee. Hopkins finished the 2023 season with 75 catches for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns.
So what’s next for the Patriots when it comes to bolstering their receiving corps?
Even with New England adding Antonio Gibson in free agency and re-signing Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne to three-year extensions, the team still lacks a proven top option capable of generating explosive plays.
The Patriots have not had a player record a 1,000-yard season since Julian Edelman in 2019.
New England still has $57 million in available cap space this offseason — the third-most in the league, per Over The Cap.
The Patriots could use that fiscal flexibility to shell out a contract for another wideout on the market, even if available names like Marquise Brown don’t exactly match the profile of a No. 1 receiver.
But the Patriots were reportedly keeping tabs on the cap-crunched Chargers and a few of their potential cap casualties this week. And with Los Angeles ultimately deciding to release veteran Mike Williams on Wednesday, the Patriots could throw the 6-foot-4 wideout a big contract.
Williams, 29, missed most of the 2023 season with a torn ACL. The Clemson product has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in two of his seven seasons with the Chargers and recorded 249 yards in just three games before suffering his knee injury.
New England could also shift to the trade market in order to acquire receiver help. Bengals pass-catcher Tee Higgins has reportedly requested a trade, while 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk has one more year left on his deal in San Francisco and is due for a pay raise.
Of course, the cons of any trade involving Higgins or Aiyuk for New England is that the Patriots would have to relinquish a coveted draft pick (perhaps No. 34 overall in the 2024 Draft?) and then have to shell out a huge deal on top of that to retain them.
The most logical option for New England might be to build through the draft, as noted by CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson.
Beyond selecting blue-chip prospect Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 3 pick in the draft, New England could trade down and try to land another coveted receiver like Washington’s Rome Odunze or LSU’s Malik Nabers with a top-10 pick.
Even at No. 34 overall, the Patriots should be in line to pick a promising receiving talent like Georgia’s Ladd McConkey or South Carolina’s Xavier Legette.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com