The question for Calvin Ridley is not whether he’ll be part of the Falcons offense in 2022 and beyond. The question is whether he’ll be here due to the Falcons picking up his 5th year option, or whether he’ll have a shiny new long-term deal in its place.
Ridley is one of the best young receivers in football, full stop, and is coming off the best campaign of his career. With Julio Jones’ future in Atlanta looking a bit cloudier after an injury-marred 2020, Ridley is the team’s surest thing on offense over the next five-plus years, meaning the team has to lock him up.