Trade speculation surrounding Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley is running rampant throughout NFL circles. Once Steve Wyche said that he thinks Ridley’s future with the Falcons is in jeopardy, everyone with a pulse has given their assessment of the situation. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network said he believes the Falcons trading Ridley is a very strong possibility.
Obviously, neither party — Atlanta or Ridley — has commented on the matter that indicates anything other than the former All-Pro suiting up for the Falcons in 2022. In his end-of-season press conference, Terry Fontenot avoided answering questions pertaining to Ridley’s future. And Ridley’s camp has been radio silent since he stepped away from football.
That hasn’t slowed the speculation train, though. Most recently, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN stated the “market would be robust” for Ridley; “Atlanta is cash-strapped and needs pieces along the offensive line, so they could use the draft capital,” an NFC scout told Fowler.
This led the media pundit to explore what kind of return the Falcons could net for Ridley. “One league exec says a conditional second-round pick — which could turn into a first-rounder based on playing time — seems like a sweet spot for Ridley,” Fowler revealed.
Fowler also included the Patriots, Saints, and Dolphins as potential landing spots in his report.
At least one other member of the media agrees with those destinations. Benjamin Albright, who covers the Broncos, could see Atlanta working out a deal with New England.
A couple of years ago, the Falcons traded receiver Mohammad Sanu to the Patriots for a second-round pick. In hindsight, Bill Belichick probably regrets the trade altogether; however, that shouldn’t stop him from acquiring Ridley to pair with Mac Jones. After all, the Patriots are desperate for playmakers at the receiver position.
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