Getty Former Las Vegas Raiders WR Nelson Agholor.
The Las Vegas Raiders gave quarterback Derek Carr a huge gift when they traded for wide receiver Davante Adams. The team hasn’t always been great with giving the quarterback wide receiver talent. Antonio Brown never played a game with the team, Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree weren’t retained long and Nelson Agholor left in free agency after one great season with the quarterback. With Adams coming to Las Vegas, Carr now has one of the best receiving trios in the NFL with Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller already on the roster.
However, it’s become apparent in recent years that teams can’t have too much receiving talent. After Agholor’s first season with the Raiders, which saw him accumulate 896 receiving yards and average 18.7 yards a reception, it looked like he’d stick with the team for a long time. He had an excellent rapport with Carr and it was easily his best season as a pro. The team wanted to keep him but the New England Patriots came in a made him a huge offer that paid him $13 million a year.
A year later and the Patriots could be having buyer’s remorse. They used a second-round pick to draft Tyquan Thornton and may not want to pay Agholor anymore. Patriots writer for USA Today Henry Coffey McKenna recently speculated that the wide receiver could get moved.
The Patriots will want to trade N’Keal Harry for salary cap reasons. But yeah, might not have a partner.
The Patriots might have to trade Agholor WITH a late pick, because it’s a salary dump.
And maybe they can get a 4th/5th for Harris?
The Raiders could offer the Patriots a sixth-round pick to get Agholor in a trade, which would put their receiving corps over the top.
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Why an Agholor Trade Makes Sense
Agholor had a rocky tenure during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles that featured much mockery from fans. When he came to the Raiders, fans absolutely loved him for his consistent ability to make big players. For whatever reason, Carr might be the best quarterback in the NFL for Agholor to play with. The two just clicked at a high level during their one season together.
When the Patriots signed him last offseason, current Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler played a role and it’s hard to imagine Josh McDaniels didn’t as well. They could look back at his partnership with Carr and see the possibility to make something special. Agholor’s salary is concerning but perhaps he’d be willing to restructure under the idea he could have another big year with Carr. His contract expires after the season and he won’t get paid if he puts up less than 500 yards with the Patriots again. There’s plenty of incentive for him to want to return to Las Vegas.
Agholor Is Deep Threat Raiders’ WR Corps Needs
Adams and Renfrow create as good a wide receiver duo as any in the NFL. However, it’s unclear who will emerge as the best third option. The team has yet to bring in a dependable deep threat. Based on the 18.7 yards per reception Agholor averaged with Carr, he’d certainly fill the void for a deep threat.
It might be overindulgent to add another pricey wide receiver but the Raiders are in the toughest division in football. No matter how good the defense is, it’s impossible to fully stop Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Russell Wilson on a consistent basis. Having an unstoppable offense littered with talent could be what gets the Raiders over the top. Agholor isn’t that valuable around the league right now but he’s proven that he can be valuable to the Raiders when he has Carr throwing him the ball.
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