Falcons General Manager Terry Fontenot spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since wide receiver Calvin Ridley’s indefinite suspension for gambling on NFL games and he confirmed that the team was discussing trades for the former first-round pick when they learned of the ban.
Fontenot said it came as a surprise to learn that Ridley had gambled on games, including one the Falcons played, while on a mental health leave from the team. He said once they learned that Ridley will be suspended through at least the 2022 season, they “had to take a step back” and will now wait to figure out the best way to proceed.
"[Calvin is] on our roster right now, and we continue to support in whatever way we can and do the best that we can and how the future looks; we don’t know,” Fontenot said, via the team’s website. “That’s a long time from now. And so we’ll see what happens with that. But we’ve been transparent really with all the information on Calvin. We’ve been transparent with everything with him. And we’ll see where that goes.”
With Matt Ryan traded and the Falcons likely looking at further roster overhaul as they position themselves for 2023 and beyond, a Ridley trade likely would have made sense this offseason. Now that it won’t happen, the Falcons will have to hope he maintains some value once reinstated if they still plan to look for a way to move him off the roster.