Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke let Ridley reach the open market in an effort to preserve draft capital, but the Titans swooped in with an offer Ridley couldn’t confuse.

We’ve all been Baalke Balled.

My wonderful Jaguar Report podcast co-host, John Shipley, likes to dunk on me by twisting Trent Baalke’s unconventional moves (see: Travon Walker, Brenton Strange, Derek Parish, etc.) into absurd arguments and exclaim, “You just got Baalke Balled!” as he laughs in my face. It’s so fun.

Isn’t it?

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter outlined in his original tweet during the 2022 trade deadline, the Jacksonville Jaguars would owe the Atlanta Falcons fourth-round compensation if Calvin Ridley made the 2023 roster (which he did), or a third-rounder if he reached certain incentives (which he did), or a second-rounder if he signed a contract extension.

Baalke let Ridley hit the open market before formally offering him a new deal to preserve draft capital. When the 2024 new league year began at 4:00 p.m. ET on March 13th, Atlanta was officially due Jacksonville’s third-round pick (79th overall). And the Jaguars could still sign Ridley.

Instead, Baalke’s bet backfired. Ridley was handed a monster deal by the Tennessee Titans as soon as he reached the open market.

The Jaguars got priced out by their divisional rivals. It’s understandable that the front office set a line they weren’t willing to cross in contract negotiations -- $50 million guaranteed is a lot for a 29-year-old, especially considering the endless supply of cheap receiver talent in the draft nowadays.

What’s maddening is that the Jaguars could have avoided Ridley reaching free agency by placing the franchise tag on him. That would’ve stopped other teams from negotiating with him, and Jacksonville could’ve either worked out a long-term deal or let him play on the $20.7 million tag.

Of course, the Jaguars ended up placing its franchise tag on star pass rusher Josh Allen. That’s understandable too, since you certainly don’t want him talking with other franchises, but maybe Baalke would’ve benefitted from extending Allen early to free up the tag for Ridley.

Instead, Jacksonville’s current receiver room consists of Christian Kirk, Gabriel Davis, Zay Jones, Devin Duvernay, and Parker Washington.

Here’s some Brian Thomas Jr. highlights, Jags fans.