What Ex-Patriots Target Cavin Ridley ‘Really Wanted’ As Free Agent

The New England Patriots didn’t win the Calvin Ridley sweepstakes, and they might not have even been the runner-up.

Ridley took his talents to Tennessee, where the Titans reportedly gave the star wide receiver a four-year, $92 million contract with $50 million guaranteed. Ridley admitted the “pretty good” money swayed him to Nashville, Tenn., as did the opportunity to play alongside five-time Pro Bowl selection DeAndre Hopkins.

But in a perfect world, the 2018 first-round pick would not have found a new team in free agency.

“I really wanted to — honestly — be with the Jags,” Ridley told reporters last Friday, per a video shared by ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “But there were a lot of things that it wasn’t working out for me.”

Perhaps one of the factors that pushed Ridley out of Jacksonville was guaranteed money. That reportedly was the main “breakdown” for the Patriots, who apparently made a competitive offer for the best wide receiver available on the open market.

Ridley’s decision forced New England to start looking at other options to bolster its talent-deprived receiving corps. The Patriots seemingly were not in the mix for new Chicago Bear Keenan Allen, but they reportedly agreed to terms with a veteran wideout Sunday.