Will the Atlanta Falcons trade Calvin Ridley next season?

Despite Calvin Ridley’s suspension little is known about the receiver’s future with the Atlanta Falcons. Despite being under contract for another season Ridley stepped away from the team and made a very regrettable mistake betting on NFL games. Ridley’s future with Atlanta was already murky with the off-season trade rumblings and the fact Ridley had stepped away from football to focus on his mental health.

For this season Atlanta won’t have to worry about Ridley as he won’t count against the cap and is suspended for a full season. Whether or not he will be able to come back in 2023 isn’t known for sure as the receiver will have to apply for reinstatement with the league attempting to set an example.

One could question the suspension when you look around the league and consider suspensions or lack thereof for other offenses. Regardless Ridley is gone this season leaving his future to be determined next off-season.

From Atlanta’s perspective, there is no reason to move off of Ridley when he isn’t counting against your cap this season. Sticking with the receiver for a season and determining his future when he is reinstated is the right move for the Falcons. When you look around the league and contracts star receivers are garnering Atlanta’s best move is likely to stick with Ridley for one more season next year keeping the receiver under contract and attempting to find a number one receiver to pair him with.

The only proven production Atlanta has on tape from Ridley came when he was in a strong support system with a veteran quarterback and a number one threat in Julio Jones.  This is a role that Atlanta knows Ridley will thrive in and the role they should attempt to set up for him in the 2023 season.

Whether through trade or the draft Atlanta needs to attempt to find a number one receiver they have lacked since trading Julio and hope to bring back Calvin the next season. Having a core of Cordarrelle Patterson, Kyle Pitts, Calvin Ridley, and assumably a top receiver drafted this off-season Atlanta should have a great group to help attract their long-term answer at the position.