Calvin Ridley has telling reaction to being traded to Jaguars

Mar 2, 2018; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Calvin Ridley speaks to the media during the 2018 NFL Combine at the Indianapolis Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off a surprising trade on Tuesday when they acquired Calvin Ridley from the Atlanta Falcons, and the wide receiver seems quite pleased with the move.

Ridley, who is currently serving an indefinite suspension for gambling on NFL games, sent a simple tweet after he was traded to Jacksonville. He wrote “#DUUUVAL” along with a couple of emojis.

That may not seem like much, but it says a lot. Ridley is obviously excited about the prospect of playing for the Jaguars in the future. That is noteworthy since he played in just five games for the Falcons last season before he left the team for mental health reasons. If he is openly pleased with the trade, it would stand to reason that Ridley plans to play when the NFL reinstates him.

The Jaguars sent a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024 to the Falcons for Ridley. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter explained, Atlanta will get the fourth-round pick as long as Ridley ends up on Jacksonville’s roster. The pick becomes a third-rounder if Ridley hits certain incentives and a second-rounder if the Jaguars sign him to an extension. You can see the full breakdown below:

An NFL investigation during the offseason revealed that Ridley placed bets on games after he left the Falcons last November. You can read more details here, but one of those wagers involved Atlanta beating the Jaguars. We doubt his new teammates will hold that against him.