Calvin Ridley Rumors: Patriots Might Have This Backup Plan

Much to the delight of New England fans, the Patriots might be adamant about adding a superstar wide receiver this offseason.

After Mike Evans re-upped with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Calvin Ridley became a prime candidate to receive a chunk of New England's surplus of spending money. But Ridley reportedly prefers to stick with the Jaguars, who saw the veteran wideout snag 76 passes for 1,016 yards with eight touchdowns in his first season in Jacksonville.

So if Ridley stays in Trevor Lawrence's arsenal of weapons, how will the Patriots proceed? The Athletic's Chad Graff provided some insight in a post to X on Tuesday.

"If the Patriots miss out on Calvin Ridley, I expect them to turn to the trade market, checking in on players like Tee Higgins, Keenan Allen, and Brandon Aiyuk," Graff wrote.

Higgins and Allen seemingly are far more realistic options for New England than Aiyuk. The Bengals' 2020 second-round pick reportedly requested a trade out of Cincinnati, where he will never be the No. 1 option as long as Ja'Marr Chase is around. Allen, meanwhile, might become available as the Chargers attempt to straighten out their salary cap situation and New England reportedly has "checked in" with Los Angeles about players who could be on their way out.

Of course, the most convenient route would be convincing Ridley to sign on the dotted line and using ample cap space to lock him up long-term. But it sure sounds like the Patriots haven't put all of their eggs in the 2018 first-rounder's basket.