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Calvin was close to joining the Eagles.
Jay Glazer of Fox Sports said on the Takeoff with John Clark that the Falcons were close to trading the wide receiver to the Eagles before he was suspended for gambling.
"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. 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.”
The Eagles thought the Falcons had gotten a better offer for Ridley, though it's unclear what Philadelphia would have given up to get the first-round pick. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Dukes and Bell said that Atlanta asked for a first-round pick.
The Falcons declined to discuss a trade for Ridley because they knew he was under investigation, according to a report by Adam Schefter.
The National Football League announced on Monday that it would be suspending him for the next season for betting on games while he was away from the team to focus on his mental health.
The suspension can be appealed, but it is not clear if he will do so. If the decision is upheld, he will not be able to apply for reinstatement until February 15, 2023.
According toBoardroom's Jordan Schultz, Ridley was drawing interest from the Eagles, New England and Cleveland. If he hadn't been suspended, he would have been on a new team.
Mike Garafolo reported in January that the Falcons and Ridley could be looking for a fresh start. His prediction was that he had played his last game for Atlanta.
Since his arrival in Atlanta, Matt Ryan has relied on Ridley a lot. In 49 games, he has caught 332 passes for 3,342 yards and 28 touchdown.
Now that he will not be on the field for a year, it is not clear what the future holds for him, as he might have landed a significant contract extension entering the final season of his contract.
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