JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been fully reinstated after missing last season while serving a suspension for violating the NFL's gambling policy, the league announced Monday.
Ridley was suspended in March 2022 for betting on NFL games.
The Atlanta Falcons traded him to the Jaguars in November for conditional draft picks in 2023 and 2024.
Ridley, 28, has 3,342 yards and 248 catches for 28 touchdowns in four seasons with the Falcons.
The former Alabama star and 2018 first-round draft pick hails from South Florida, where he was a five-star recruit at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek.
Ridley will provide an immediate boost to a team that made the playoffs after finishing with the worst record in the NFL each of the previous two seasons.
He is expected to join the Jaguars for offseason workouts beginning April 17.
"Today's reinstatement by the NFL brings an end to a challenging chapter of my professional career, one that was self-inflicted and began with an isolated lapse in judgement," Ridley said in a statement. "I have always owned my mistakes, and this is no different. I have great respect for the game and am excited for the opportunity to restart my career in Jacksonville. I look forward to showing my new coaches, teammates and the entire Jaguars organization exactly who I am and what I represent as a player and person."
Ridley petitioned the league for reinstatement last month, the first day he was eligible.
Now, the Jaguars are adding a potential game-changing receiver to an offense that was ranked fifth in the league in total yards in 2022. He will join fellow receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones and tight end Evan Engram as top targets for quarterback Trevor Lawrence in 2023.
"We look forward to building a relationship with Calvin as both an individual and as a player," the Jaguars said in a statement. "Calvin is a proven playmaker, and we are excited to see him compete among and with his new teammates, first during our offseason program in April and ultimately into the 2023 season, as we collectively pursue a championship for Jacksonville."
The NFL's investigation uncovered no evidence inside information was used or that any game was compromised by Ridley's betting.
