The Tennessee Titans dumped a massive contract onto Calvin Ridley in free agency in hopes he could lead the wide receiver room into the future.

After securing a $92 million deal across four years last offseason, Ridley recorded 63 receptions for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns. That’s not exactly the type of production a team would want from the 15th-highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.

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Even so, Ridley showed some promise during the second half of the season, and considering what he was working with at the quarterback position, there’s still some hope that the 30-year-old can put together solid No. 1 numbers.

When looking at the top Offensive Player of the Year award candidates from each team, Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network landed on Ridley for the Titans.

It would admittedly be surprising if a Tennessee Titans player won Offensive Player of the Year in 2025. That said, their best candidate technically has to be their top skill position player.

Calvin Ridley has quietly put together consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since his reinstatement into the NFL. He figures to be the Titans’ top pass catcher again in 2025, this time with No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward throwing him the ball.

No one should be putting their money on the award going to a player from the Titans offense. Not only is it incredibly difficult for a wide receiver to win the award, but the Titans’ offense was one of the worst units in the NFL last season.

It took Ridley a while to get going during the first half of the 2024 season in Nashville. During the first six games of the season, Ridley averaged just 30.5 receiving yards per game and had three separate games with fewer than 10 receiving yards. From Week 8 on, however, he averaged 75.8 yards per game — a pace of 1,288 receiving yards in a 17-game season.

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Those numbers wouldn’t win Ridley the prestigious award, but it goes to show that with some consistent play at quarterback, the Titans could get their money’s worth out of their top wideout.

This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: $92 million star dubbed Titans Offensive Player of the Year candidate