Calvin Ridley needs to prove his worth for the Atlanta Falcons

Calvin Ridley came into the season with sky-high expectations for the Atlanta Falcons offense, so far he has been a big disappointment—as has the rest of the offense.

It has seemed like Ridley gets featured early in games before he disappears for long stretches at a time. Last year that was not the case as he was consistently getting chunk yards through the air, which has rarely happened through the first three weeks.

Calvin Ridley needs to step up if he wants a new contract for the Falcons.

This is the single most important year for Ridley during his young NFL career as he is going to be looking for a new contract with Atlanta after this year.

The Falcons elected to pick up Calvin’s fifth-year option meaning that he is on pace to become an unrestricted free agent following next season. Teams usually like to get a contract done in between the fourth and fifth years of the rookie contracts, meaning this offseason for Ridley.

Going forward the Falcons’ top receiver will need to show that he deserves a new contract to continue being the clear top receiver.

If we are being honest, he has not done much to show the Falcons should commit to him for the long haul.

He has struggled after the catch, he has been struggling to consistently get open and make plays through the entire game.

It all starts with today as they take on the Washington Football Team, a team that has struggled to cover anyone. This is the time that Ridley needs to change the trajectory of his season.

His stats have been utterly disappointing as he only has 20 catches, 175 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown. Nothing about those statistics shows the team that he deserves a new contract.

Will he end up lighting up defenses as the season goes on? Yes, in all likelihood. Will Ridley end up receiving a new contract? Yes probably.

However, if he continues these disappointing games, the Atlanta Falcons should seriously think twice about offering a new contract just yet.