Possible reason why Calvin Ridley is wearing jersey number 0 in 2023

Jacksonville Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley will don a new jersey number when he returns to the NFL next season. The receiver will play his first game for the franchise wearing the No. 0 jersey, he announced on social media.

Ridley's announcement came immediately after the NFL decided at the annual owners' meeting on Tuesday that players would be able to make the jersey change. While the 28-year-old has not given a specific reason, it seems he's done so to become the first Jaguars player to wear the number zero.

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Ridley was recently reinstated after being suspended for betting on NFL games after four years with the Atlanta Falcons. He wore the No.18 with the Falcons but was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022.

Former New England linebacker Bryan Cox was the last player to wear the No. 0 jersey, doing so in the 2001 preseason before changing it for the regular season.

Calvin Ridley's NFL stats and career so far

Calvin Ridley was picked by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. He spent four seasons with the team but stepped away from football after playing just five games in 2021 to focus on his mental health.

During the 2020 season, Ridley caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. It was his best year with the Falcons.

In total, Ridley has racked up 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns on 248 receptions across 48 games in the NFL so far. He also has 62 rushing yards on 13 attempts but is yet to score a touchdown on the ground.

Next season will be his first with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Many fans are eager to see how Ridley will link up with quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Edited by SO