Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans agree to restructured deal, per report

Calvin Ridley and the Tennessee Titans have decided to stay together. As NFL free agency continues into its first full week, Ridley will not add his name to the list of playmakers on the market.

Instead, he chose to remain with the Titans. But the security of remaining a weapon for Cam Ward came at a price.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Titans and Ridley agreed to restructure his current contract. The move prevents Ridley from being released at a time that is not advantageous to his market value. The Titans also obtain additional cap flexibility without having to eat the dead money for Ridley’s contract.

Per Pelissero, the two sides had to agree to terms ahead of a 4 p.m. ET deadline. If Ridley was still on the roster after the deadline, he would net a $2 million roster bonus. So if the Titans wanted to release Ridley, they would have needed to do so before paying him an extra couple of million.

The terms of the contract’s restructuring aren’t known at this time. It’s also unclear if Ridley still got his bonus.

Calvin Ridley’s restructured deal helps both sides

The two sides had an incentive to get this done, even without knowing the deal they reached.

The Titans pair Ridley with Wan’Dale Robinson, with whom the team agreed to terms on Monday during the legal tampering period. Robinson secured a reported four-year, $80 million deal to add his speed and slot playmaking and give Ward another option.

Putting as many weapons around their sophomore quarterback clearly matters to the Titans. Signing Robinson and keeping Ridley aboard does that.

But keeping Ridley wasn’t the only goal. They also avoid a substantial amount of dead money if they had released Ridley.

Before the restructured deal, Ridley carried a $26.45 million cap hit. Cutting him would have resulted in a $13.43 million in cap savings but $13.02 million in dead money. So basically, the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze, and they would have gained no real cap flexibility. They would have actually saved $18.43 million if they had designated it as a post-June cut.

But then, his roster bonus kicks in, costing them $2 million. Plus, Ridley’s gone at that point.

For the former Alabama playmaker, it’s simply not a good time to be looking for work. Ridley’s 2025 season ended early while making a Week 5 catch on the first offensive snap vs. the Texans. He broke his fibula on the play.

Continuing his rehab, finding a new team, and working his way through a new offensive system is a tall task to do at once. Instead, he gets to stay with the Titans and continue to help their young offense.

Ridley originally signed a four-year, $92 million deal to join Tennessee in 2024. Since joining the Titans, he has caught 81 of his 156 targets for 1,320 yards and four touchdowns while appearing in 24 games.