Calvin Ridley Suspended for the Season

In a bizarre story the NFL has suspended Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley for the entire 2022 season due to gambling on the NFL. According to the NFL an investigation uncovered that Ridley placed bets on NFL games during a five day period in late November.

Ridley’s career has taken a number of wild turns in the last year. Last year was supposed to see Ridley continue to build on his 1,374 yard season in 2020 to set himself up to be one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL in 2022. Ridley only played in five games and in late October was put on the non-football injury/illness list to focus on his mental health.

Ridley was set to earn $11.116 million this season from the Falcons and then hit free agency in 2023. His salary had been guaranteed. Ridley was rumored to be traded to a number of teams this offseason as the cap starved Falcons are in rebuilding mode.

Ridley should immediately be moved to the suspension list forfeiting his $11.116 million salary for the year. His contract will toll to 2023 but the guarantee in the contract should no longer be valid. Given the circumstances of the last two seasons, Ridley may be looking at having to take a contract much lower than that figure if the league agrees to reinstate him in 2023.