Titans Once Again Dash Patriots’ Dreams Of Signing Star Wideout

Calvin Ridley will be staying in the AFC, choosing a four-year contract with the Tennessee Titans over the New England Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ridley got the money he worked for, setting up a deal worth up to $92 million with Tennessee, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, as free agency officially opened Wednesday. The Titans earn another big-ticket receiver in as many years, this time taking him away for a division rival in Jacksonville.

Not only do the Titans make an impactful wideout addition for the second straight season, they beat out the Patriots for said player for the second straight season.

DeAndre Hopkins hit the open market last summer and seemed to make all of the sense in the world for the Patriots to finally bring in the No. 1 receiver the team has needed for years. Hopkins visited New England, interacted with could-have-been teammates and seemed to have the Patriots in the running. Ultimately, Hopkins chose a multi-year deal with the Titans while the Patriots struggled through a 4-13 season.

This time around, the Patriots were in right in the running financially to the end, to the point that their offer to Ridley may have been even more competitive than Tennessee. Whether it be more supporting offensive weapons or the absence of state income tax in Tennessee, the Titans once again persuaded a top receiver on the market away from the Patriots to come play in Nashville.

The Titans also pulled off a similar victory signing in 2019. After the Patriots won Super Bowl LIII and looked to re-tool the offense, wide receiver Adam Humphries turned down a better offer from the Patriots to join the Titans. Ironically enough, the Titans eliminated the Patriots in the AFC Wild Card round that year on their way to the AFC Championship Game, though Humphries was inactive for the contest.

Ultimately, the Patriots have tried multiple appeals, both on personal levels and with respectable financial commitments, to land impact receivers for an offense that has needed them for years. The Titans continue to beat out New England, a trend that the Patriots have to reverse with Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf competing to acquire marquee talent.

It's safe to say that Hopkins, Ridley and Humphries are certainly in three different categories of receiver talent. With that being said, all three were fits for the Patriots at their respective times of availability that could have elevated the production of the offense. Instead, the Patriots were forced to head in a different direction.

With Ridley off the board, the Patriots will have to pivot again. Luckily for them, plenty of receiver talent can be targeted on the trade market and through a deep class in the NFL draft.