Previously Coveted Patriots Target Already Regretting Decision?

The Patriots knew they needed a talented pass-catcher to help breathe life into the offense, but their aggressive pursuit crashed and burned.

One notable target was Calvin Ridley, the top wide receiver in free agency. New England and the Jacksonville Jaguars aggressively chased the 29-year-old, but the Tennessee Titans swooped in and signed the wideout to a lucrative contract.

Eliot Wolf and Robert Kraft gave differing reasons for Ridley’s decision to turn down the Patriots, but it seemed that the sixth-year wide receiver favored Tennessee’s living and financial conditions. He also bought into the team the Titans hoped to be.

That didn’t come to fruition through the first five games of the season with the Titans closer to the bottom of the AFC South with the Jaguars. Things looked even worse for Ridley last Sunday when he finished the game with eight targets for zero catches and yards along with nine rushing yards. The frustration mounted postgame when Ridley pointed out that most of his targets didn’t come until the fourth quarter.

“I need some in the beginning of the (expletive) game, too. (Expletive) is getting (expletive) crazy for me,” Ridley told reporters, per AtoZ Sports Nashville. “It is what it is. I sucked (Sunday), got to be better. But I got to get the ball early in the game so I can be in the game, and here with the team and play well also.”

Ridley was second in the NFL with 18.3 averaged targeted air yards and fifth with 46.72% of his team share of air yards after Week 6, per Next Gen Stats. However, those were empty throws when Will Levis is your quarterback. The second-year signal-caller posted a 29.2 quarterback rating in the Titans’ Week 6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

It’s no wonder that Ridley was frustrated, but did he expect more? Levis showed little upside in his rookie season outside of his big arm. Tennessee did what New England didn’t by providing its young quarterback with better resources. But Drake Maye showed last Sunday he has a stronger career projection than Levis, who’s become a weekly meme with his erratic play.

Neither the Patriots nor the Jaguars were in better spots after Week 6, but it did make fans wonder how Ridley’s season could have gone if he went to a place with a better quarterback situation.