NATCHEZ — Stevan Ridley has a new home.

The Natchez native and former Trinity Episcopal star has reached a one-year verbal agreement with the Detroit Lions.

“I can’t be more humbled that I get a second chance,” Ridley said. “Two years off of (ACL) surgery and rushing under 100 yards (last year), to get another shot to play for another organization in the NFL is amazing.”

Ridley appeared in eight games last season for the New York Jets, rushing for 90 yards. Ridley is a former LSU standout, where he ran for 1,147 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior in 2010.

Ridley posted on his Instagram account Friday morning thanking the Jets organization for his time spent there and expressed dedication to his new program.

Ridley has seen his share of adversity the past few seasons. In 2014, Ridley’s career with the New England Patriots, the team that drafted him in 2011, was cut short after an MRI confirmed he had torn his ACL in a game in October against the Buffalo Bills.

That was not the first time Ridley had suffered a significant knee injury. As an underclassman at LSU, Ridley had to bounce back from his first ACL tear. When he needed surgery and a trainer as a professional, he went back to LSU team physician Dr. Brent Bankston and trainer Jack Marucci, who put him back on track during his time in college.

“The recovery process was a big test of patience,” Ridley said. “I had to follow my intuition and go with a doctor I could trust. It really started at LSU.”

Ridley said he had the choice between renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews and the staff at LSU, but the Ridley said the decision came down to trust.

“I went under the knife and Bankston got me right and got me running, and I was ready to play going into last season,” Ridley said.

The timing of Ridley’s ACL injury was not impeccable. Ridley’s injury came in his contract year with the Patriots, leaving without a team during his recovery. He found an opportunity with the Jets, signing a one-year contract.

In New York, he was forced to take a back seat to running backs Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell. Ivory, a former New Orleans Saints player, rushed for a career-high 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns with the Jets, and Powell’s hands reeled in 47 receptions.

Ridley felt he had little opportunity beyond his 36 rushes in 2015. With Ivory and Powell playing so well, he felt like it wasn’t up to him.

“For a guy to go in there and grind out (1,070) yards, you can’t really change that,” Ridley said. “Once (Powell) came on and started doing his thing, he was playing electric the last five or six games of the season. Really, it put me in a position where it wasn’t my time to play.”

Ridley said he weighed the pros and cons of his situation after his contract with New York expired. The former Trinity star said he thought he was in a much better position heading into the 2016 NFL season, almost two seasons removed from his season-ending injury.

Ridley said he has again found a sense of comfort, this time in the NFL. Lions general manager and executive vice president Bob Quinn was the Patriots director of pro scouting during Ridley’s tenure in New England. Quinn and Lions’ new head strength coach Harold Nash gave Ridley an opportunity at what he described as a “sit-down, meet-and-greet” meeting earlier this week.

“There were some guys there who had transitioned over from the Patriots, and that helped me get my foot in the door in Detroit,” Ridley said. “I had so many people in my corner pushing me to get better, and the Lord opened a door for me.”

Ridley will serve as a member of a new-look Detroit offense in 2015. All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson announced his retirement in early March, and the Lions did not re-sign former starting running back Joique Bell.

Ridley will compete for carries with 2015 holdovers Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick, both smaller than Ridley’s listed sixe of 5-foot-11, 220 pounds. Ridley said he believes the Lions will give him an opportunity to play to his advantage of rushing between the tackles.

“I’m glad I can go in there and compete for carries and be the veteran in the room,” Ridley said. “It gives me the opportunity to try to be the early-down back. If I can go in there and get it done on my end, (quarterback Matthew) Stafford has proven his ability to throw the ball around.”

To his former coaches, family and friends in Natchez, Ridley said he appreciates the continued support his hometown has provided for his family, and he aims to best represent Natchez by proving himself on the field with Detroit this season.

“I’ve been in Natchez more this offseason than I have been in any other,” Ridley said. “To the town of Natchez, I love y’all. I have to say that. I have so much support. It doesn’t matter what team I’m on; I know Natchez, Mississippi, has my back.”