The Patriots reportedly had a strong offer on the table as they tried to land Calvin Ridley.
But it still wasn’t enough to seal the deal with the standout free-agent wide receiver.
The Tennessee Titans swooped in and beat out both the Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday evening, signing Ridley to a four-year, $92 million deal with $50 million guaranteed, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
That’s a hefty contract for Ridley, but it appears New England wasn’t far off from those figures as Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer provided insight into what the Patriots offered.
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“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 the X platform. “I’d heard yesterday the Patriots were at right around $22 million per, and the Jags were just shy of $20 million per. Tennessee, like Florida, has no state income tax.”
While Breer reported the Patriots were well within the vicinity in terms of the average annual value, it’s unclear how much guaranteed money they offered. That could have been a determining factor in Ridley’s decision.
Ridley will become the 10th highest-paid wide receiver in the league now thanks to the Titans.
Ridley is coming off the second 1,000-yard receiving season of his career. The 29-year-old also totaled 76 receptions with eight touchdowns in 2023. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Atlanta Falcons, who selected the Alabama product 26th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Ridley missed the entire 2022 season as he served a year-long suspension for betting on NFL games.
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Ridley would have immediately stepped into the role as New England’s No. 1 wide receiver, but instead, the Patriots have to go back to the drawing board knowing they just missed out on acquiring a premier talent that’s desperately needed in their offense.
