Eliot Wolf Gives a Straightforward Reason Why the Patriots Didn’t Sign Ridley

Patriots owner Robert Kraft offered an… interesting explanation for why his team failed to sign star Calvin Ridley last month.

Even though New England opened the offseason with more than $100 million in cap space, it lost the bidding war for Ridley — who ultimately signed with the Tennessee Titans for a $92 million contract on four years.

“We went after the people we wanted in free agency. There was an outstanding receiver that we unfortunately were unable to close. It wasn’t a financial issue,” Kraft said. “He made it clear that his girlfriend wanted to live down south and we were in a situation where taxes were almost 10% higher. We offered – or were willing – to continue adding that premium, but he didn’t want to be in the Northeast. Part of that could also be due to the quarterback situation.

It was a bizarre move on Kraft’s part to attribute Ridley’s decision to factors other than money, while adding at the very end that it may have been New York’s lack of offensive talent. England who could have had some influence on the pass catcher’s call to sign elsewhere. .

Speaking to reporters Thursday at Gillette Stadium, Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf offered a much simpler answer as to why New England was unable to land Ridley on the roster. Free market.

“Another team would offer more money, that would be the main thing,” Wolf said.

Ridley, 29, would have been a welcome choice for a Patriots team still short on proven offensive weapons. The former University of Alabama player had a solid season in Jacksonville in 2023, making 76 catches for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ridley surpassed 800 receiving yards three other times during his NFL career, headlined by an impressive 2020 season in which he caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns with the Falcons .

But Wolf on Thursday pushed back against the notion that New England’s offense is still seriously lacking in playmakers.

“We have NFL receivers, we have NFL tight ends, we have NFL running backs, we have NFL running backs. We’re happy with where we are,” Wolf said, adding: “We feel like through free agency – on the offensive end in particular – that we’ve been able to fill out our roster properly, so that we don’t have to recruit or need much offensively.