He played college football for the LSU Tigers and was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft.

Ridley was also a member of the New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.

[15] In his second year, he proved to be a dependable running back in the NFL after racking up 1,263 total yards on 290 carries, while scoring 12 rushing touchdowns during the regular season.

During the AFC Championship against the Baltimore Ravens on January 20, 2013, Ridley suffered a concussion after a head-to-head collision with Bernard Pollard, which also resulted in a fumble and a turnover.

[17] In the regular season opener, Ridley was benched in the second half of the game after losing a fumble.

[18] After losing fumbles in three straight games, Ridley was a healthy scratch in the Patriots' Week 13 34–31 win over the Houston Texans.

Plagued by the fumbling issues, Ridley lost significant playing time to LeGarrette Blount in his 2013 campaign, and finished the regular season with 178 carries for 773 yards with seven touchdowns.

[20] In the 2013–14 NFL playoffs, Ridley recorded his first career postseason multi-touchdown performance, rushing 14 times for 52 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' 43–22 Divisional Round win over the Indianapolis Colts.

[24] Despite being on injured reserve, Ridley was a part of the Patriots Super Bowl XLIX team that defeated the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 28–24.

[36] On October 5, 2017, Ridley signed with the Minnesota Vikings after a season-ending injury to rookie Dalvin Cook.