Feels Like Longer Patriots Wait On Calvin Ridley, Less Likely He Signs

It feels like Calvin Ridley might be doing the Jacksonville Jaguars a solid.

And that's not good news for the New England Patriots.

That line of thinking comes down to a detail recently pointed out by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, which started to gain more traction Tuesday during the legal tampering period.

Fowler previously reported if the Jaguars re-sign Ridley before the 2024 league year begins, Jacksonville will have to send the Atlanta Falcons a second-round pick. However, if Ridley officially hits the open market Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET and then the Jaguars agree to re-sign Ridley, Jacksonville would send a third-round pick.

With that said, it feels like the longer Ridley takes to make his decision, the less likely it is he joins the Patriots. New England has an offer into Ridley, per the Boston Herald's Doug Kyed.

The Jaguars benefit from Ridley being patient. There's no benefit to either Ridley himself nor the Patriots. If Ridley wanted to join New England, he could agree to terms at any time during the legal tampering period and then officially sign when free agency begins Wednesday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday the belief is that Ridley would rather sign with Jacksonville than New England. It appears that way. Perhaps there's even a wink-wink deal in place between Ridley and the club.

This isn't to say there's no chance the Patriots will land Ridley. Obviously there's a chance given New England is one of two teams still fighting for him.

But in this case, it feels like the silence from Ridley's camp is speaking volumes.