Any chance of Calvin Ridley coming to the Houston Texans is now zero.
After stepping away from the Atlanta Falcons for personal reasons last season, Calvin Ridley is back in the news again. Ridley was found to be betting on games, including parlays that included his current team (with which he still has an active contract).
That got Ridley suspended for the entire 2022 NFL season, and he is the first notable player since Indianapolis Colts quarterback Art Schlichter in 1983. So any trade chances or possibilities are out for another year. Gambling has been a big “no-no” for a long time now, especially after Baseball’s Pete Rose really put it on the national stage.
What was a big trade that could have happened is now null and void. It will be interesting to see what happens to Ridley when his suspension ends after this season- will he have a market of teams to sign with?
NFL Players Suspended for Gambling:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2022
⁰🏈1963 Alex Karras ⁰🏈1963 Paul Hornung ⁰🏈1983 Art Schlichter ⁰🏈2019 Josh Shaw ⁰🏈2022 Calvin Ridley
Does Calvin Ridley impact the Houston Texans and Deshaun Watson?
If Ridley was going to be traded, it’s not like the trade demands would be as long as Nick Caserio’s list. The Falcons may have known that this was coming, and as a result, they did not trade Ridley due to acting in “good faith.”
So is that why the Houston Texans haven’t traded Deshaun Watson yet? The cases are vastly different and are not the same, just to be very clear on that. The reality is that Ridley’s situation doesn’t impact Watson at all.
Ridley had an NFL violation, something that was more concrete than Watson’s predicament. If Watson sits out another year and both players are back in the league in 2023, the first one to get moved (or signed) will dictate the course of action for the other.
Watson is due for his second deposition on Friday, March 11th.