Falcons Admit to Shopping Calvin Ridley in Trade Before Suspension

One of the more shocking storylines of the NFL offseason has been the suspension of wide receiver Calvin Ridley for betting on games in 2021. The Atlanta Falcons will be without their No. 1 wideout for the entire 2022 season and have now admitted that he was already being shopped in trade talks.

Falcons were having discussions about moving Calvin Ridley, but they had to 'take a step back' after the gambling investigation was brought to the team's attention. That was 'a surprise to all of us.'
— Scott Bair (@ScottBairNFL) March 23, 2022

Falcons News

A number of teams were likely interested in dealing for a 27-year-old pass-catcher that averages 13.5 yards per reception in his career. Ridley entered the NFL as a first-round draft pick in 2018 and has racked up 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns over the course of four seasons in Atlanta (49 games).

In fact, rumors have it the Philadelphia Eagles were close to a deal before the Falcons backed out at the last minute. It was later learned that talks were stopped when the organization was informed of Ridley's wrongdoings. The Alabama product's future in Atlanta remains up in the air moving forward.

Atlanta could still look to trade Ridley, but it is obvious that his value has plummeted. The front office would likely be better off waiting until next offseason to gauge the market. Ridley's absence pushes tight end Kyle Pitts into an ever bigger role after he racked up 1,026 receiving yards as a rookie.

Ridley won't be the only player missing from the Falcons' offense in 2022 after the team traded away veteran quarterback Matt Ryan on Monday. Atlanta will aim to remain competitive in a tough NFC South division and have odds set at +18000 to win Super Bowl 57, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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