The New England Patriots had a lot of cap space this offseason, but they did not end up doing as much with it as expected. They were in the conversation surrounding many big players, including wide receiver Calvin Ridley, but nothing came of it.
Ridley ended up signing with the Tennessee Titans on a four-year, $92 million deal, including $50 million guaranteed. Money talks in the NFL and at the end of the day the league is a business, so players tend to go where the cash is, but not always.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said not landing Ridley was not about a contract issue, but rather about where his family wanted to live.
"It was made clear his girlfriend wanted to be in the South," Kraft said (via the Boston Herald), noting that the Patriots were willing to match Ridley's top offer. "He didn't want to be in the Northeast."
Kraft said his team was willing to make an offer that would eliminate any difference in taxes between Massachusetts and Tennessee, but money was apparently not moving the needle.
The "girlfriend" Kraft is referring to is actual Ridley's wife, Dominique Fitchard, who he has two daughters with.
Ridley does have a history of playing and living in warm weather states. He is from Florida, played at Alabama in college and in the NFL has played in Atlanta and Jacksonville. Fitchard grew up in Alabama, so she is also used to a warmer climate.
The owner then did point out that the quarterback situation with the Patriots also may have been a factor.
The Patriots offense isn't exactly the most appealing in the league. They have a first-year head coach in Jerod Mayo and no starting quarterback.
Former first-round pick Mac Jones did not work out and due to poor play was benched midseason, eventually getting downgraded to emergency quarterback in the season finale. Jones was traded during the offseason to the Jaguars after three years in New England. Their backup Bailey Zappe was not much better and the team finished an AFC-worst 4-13 in 2023.
The struggles came with quarterback and coach drama and while there are new leaders in the building, it can be easy to see why it all would put some players off.
This offseason, the Patriots added quarterback Jacoby Brissett to come in for a second stint with the team. He will likely serve as a veteran backup presence, with the starting role going to wherever they pick at No. 3, if they even decide to choose a quarterback. While Mayo says drafting a QB is the "priority" right now, he admitted that all options are still on the table.
For a wide receiver, who your quarterback is everything and not knowing who will be in the building Week 1 is one reason Ridley may have been hesitant. Rookie quarterbacks, even top five picks, have a history of struggling when they come to the NFL. Not all first-round picks will work out at all, but especially not in the first season they play, so the Patriots' early selection far from guarantees success.
While Kraft maintains that the reasons for not joining the Patriots were family based, there are no shortage of other reasons that wide receivers may choose somewhere else.
In Tennessee, Ridley will be playing alongside quarterback Will Levis, a second-round pick entering his second season.
