Bullet point summary by AI
- Three NFL contenders could emerge as realistic landing spots for wide receiver Calvin Ridley this offseason.
- Each team faces distinct roster challenges that make Ridley an immediate upgrade at the position.
- The trade structures vary dramatically, with one team needing salary cap relief and another willing to gamble on a high-upside young player.
The Tennessee Titans have their No. 1 receiver for quarterback Cam Ward after the team drafted Carnell Tate early in this year’s NFL Draft. Add in the signing of Wan’Dale Robinson and the solid play of last year’s fourth-round picks, Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, and, well … it would make sense if the guy who was formerly viewed as Tennessee’s top wide receiver finds himself playing elsewhere in the near future.
But where could Calvin Ridley end up? It’d need to be a team with serious need at wide receiver but that’s also in a position where it can trade assets for a one-year rental, since there’s no way any team doesn’t either cut or restructure Ridley after 2026, since he carries a huge 2027 cap hit but a relatively small hit if he’s waived or traded. That likely means you’re looking at a contender with a hole at wide receiver, and, well…there are three of those that would make a ton of sense.
Proposed Chiefs-Titans trade for Calvin Ridley
The Kansas City Chiefs need wide receiver help. Right now, it looks like Tyquan Thornton is set for a larger role than Tyquan Thornton should have, and the depth behind the top three players falls off fast. Jalen Royals is your WR4. Your WR5 is…either Cyrus Allen or Jimmy Holiday? Very obvious that adding Ridley would be a good move here.
The issue is that Kansas City has, like, zero cap space, so they’re going to have to send salary back to Tennessee. Cornerback Kristian Fulton is an obvious call to move on from after a disappointing 2025 season and the fact that the team drafted Mansoor Delane in the first round and Jadon Canady in the fourth round (plus signed Kader Kohou) shows that Fulton is expendable, and the Titans have the room to absorb his deal.
Is a fifth-round pick a bit rich for Ridley at this point? Sure, but Kansas City is also paying to move off of Fulton and open up additional cap space, as this move would also increase Kansas City’s cap space by $2.3 million.
Proposed Commanders-Titans trade for Calvin Ridley
This is much more straightforward than the Chiefs trade, as the Washington Commanders have the room under the salary cap to absorb Ridley’s contract, so they should be able to get him for a sixth-round pick, as long as the Titans recognize that that sixth-rounder is more important for long-term team building than Ridley is.
As for why the Commanders do this, it’s basically a chance to save themselves from, well…themselves. Washington has repeatedly been linked to Brandon Aiyuk this offseason. I won’t pretend to be an expert on the Aiyuk situation. Everyone should be allowed one baffling NFL issue that they just bury their head in the sand about and ignore, and for me, it’s whatever’s going on with Aiyuk. I’ll care if he touches an NFL field in 2026. If he doesn’t…meh.
Anyway, Ridley might have a long injury history and he might be coming off a down year, but I think the floor is significantly higher than Aiyuk, since the floor is “plays in NFL games,” whereas the Aiyuk floor is “never plays football again.” If the Commanders can make this move, they should, because the wide receiver depth is BAD. Terry McLaurin is elite, but behind him, they’re counting on guys like Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown and rookie Antonio Williams.
Proposed Bills-Titans trade for Calvin Ridley
We’re getting a little weird here. The Buffalo Bills used the No. 33 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Keon Coleman, but two years in, it’s clear that there’s a disconnect between Coleman and the team. There’s probably no point in keeping Coleman in Buffalo at this point, because it’s hard to see this being salvageable.
Tennessee could give Coleman a fresh start. Sure, he’d need to beat out Dike and Ayomanor for the No. 3 role, but he has the talent to do so, and the Titans are also in a position where they can afford to take a chance on Coleman’s upside. If he doesn’t work out? Oh well!
As for the Bills, they lose out on a player with long-term upside but get a wide receiver who can help them right now on a roster with major holes at the position, as well as a late-round pick. It’s definitely a “win now” move that officially signals that the Coleman pick was a mistake, but the Bills have to do what they can to take advantage of Josh Allen’s Super Bowl window.
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