Trent Baalke’s bet on Calvin Ridley paid off, now the public can confidently follow his lead

Let’s get a clear idea of Calvin Ridley’s recent strange timeline.

A year ago, around this exact time, Ridley was suspended for betting on NFL games. Specifically, the former Atlanta Falcons star had literally bet $1,500 in parlays on the team he played for — a big no-no. Then, the Jacksonville Jaguars and GM Trent Baalke took a significant gamble (no pun intended) in a then-understated deal for Ridley at November’s trade deadline.

Jacksonville would go on to complete one of the biggest comebacks in NFL playoff history before falling just short of upsetting the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs. With Ridley officially reinstated and active, the Jaguars should be poised for repeat, if not better, success in the fall.

But what gives?

Currently, per DraftKings, Trevor Lawrence’s Jaguars have -140 odds to repeat as AFC South champions. They have +1500 odds to win the AFC (eighth-best). Regarding hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl 58 next February, Jacksonville is +2800. That is eighth-best, behind notable teams like … the New York Jets (+2500)? The Dallas Cowboys (+1400)?

Folks, I ask this respectfully: Let’s start taking the Jaguars more seriously.

We’ve known Ridley — a 2020 Second-Team All-Pro — would be Lawrence’s No. 1 receiver in 2023 for over four months. Had no one accounted for this addition before? They just made a run to the AFC Divisional Round while still in their pseudo-rebuild phase! With Lawrence, Doug Pederson, and now Ridley being added into a volatile mix (in a good way), there is no sensible reality where the Jaguars aren’t a part of the NFL’s inner circle.

It’s Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs, but the Jaguars are right there in that 1B tier that just needs a fortuitous bounce of the ball. Induct them. Induct them now.

The days of the Jaguars being an NFL afterthought are over. Get used to hearing “Lawrence-to-Ridley” repeatedly for one of pro football’s newly premier teams.