Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley recently underwent minor foot surgery (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). As a result, he’ll be unable to take the field during minicamp. Fortunately, it’s more of a cleanup than a serious operation, so Ridley should be good to go in time for training camp. 
[RELATED: Fallout From Julio Jones Trade]
Ridley set new career watermarks last year with 90 grabs for 1,374 yards. The former No. 26 overall pick also found pay dirt nine times. In an otherwise trying year for the Falcons, Ridley was a bright spot. All in all, he’s got 217 catches, 3,061 yards, and 26 touchdowns to his credit.
Now, the Falcons will be counting on Ridley more than ever with Julio Jones out of the picture. And, with some the much needed cap relief that came from the Jones deal, the Falcons should be able to start extension talks with him in the near future. For now, the 2018 first-round pick is signed through 2022, thanks to his fifth-year option worth $11.116MM.
ATL logic: “Thank god we got rid of 1 bloated WR contract so we can write another one for Calvin’.
What would you prefer they do with Calvin?
I think Miami showed what a real tear down is. Trade every asset. Ridley would fetch a 1st. Pitt had no problem coughing one up for M Fitz as an example.
Falcons didn’t mess up re-signing Julio, they messed up reworking his deal 2 years into it. Ridley is 26, he’ll be fine for a 5 year deal.
Even at $11MM per, Calvin is a tremendous bargain. An extension will cost close to what Julio was earning but Ridley has years of excellence ahead of him.