After another disappointing season, the Las Vegas Raiders will likely try to shake things up and re-sign a lot of their free agents. However, there’s one guy they should keep. Nelson Agholor was the Raiders’ best wide receiver for a majority of the season but he’s set to hit free agency.
He put up a career-best in receiving yards with 896 and was second in the NFL with an 18.7 yards per catch average. Based on the bounce-back year, Agholor should get a solid payday in free agency. Unfortunately, it might not be with the Raiders. Vic Tafur of The Athletic recently dropped some key insight on what the wide receiver might do in free agency:
While [Darren] Waller is the Raiders’ best player, I voted for Agholor as their most valuable. He made a lot of big plays in key moments and gave them the deep threat that [Henry] Ruggs was supposed to be. He is only 27 and still very fast. Agholor is going to test the free-agent market and I would be surprised if he is back. (He turned down several interview requests down the stretch.)
Tafur is one of the most reliable Raiders insiders, so if he doesn’t believe Agholor is going to be back, there’s a good shot he won’t be back. That said, it’s still early in the offseason and things are constantly changing in the NFL.
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Conflicting Reports on Agholor
Tafur’s previous comments make it appear as if Agholor won’t be back in Las Vegas but there has been another report that contradicts them. Sports Illustrated’s Hondo Carpenter is reporting that he’s been told that the Raiders are planning to sign the wide receiver to a two-year, $15 million deal.
Though Carpenter has only been covering the Raiders beat for the last year, he’s been covering the NFL for a very long time and is a reliable insider. However, Tafur responded to the report and called it “total BS.”
Now, this is certainly a tricky situation. Carpenter is a veteran NFL reporter and is highly unlikely to report a fake story. That said, Tafur has been covering the Raiders’ beat for a lot longer and is very reliable. Time will tell who has the correct intel.
Final Agholor Decision Likely Hasn’t Been Made
The NFL season hasn’t even technically ended yet so it’s likely that Agholor hasn’t made a decision. Free agency won’t begin until March 17th, barring any changes. That gives the wide receiver over two months to make a decision. Unless the Raiders make him a ridiculous offer, there’s no reason he shouldn’t at least see what he’s worth in free agency.
There are probably a number of teams that saw all of the big plays Agholor made last season and would like to sign him. The Raiders should definitely be among the teams trying to strike a deal with him but he has every right to try and make the most money possible. Two-years, $15 million isn’t bad, but it’s possible Agholor can get more. Perhaps his market isn’t as strong as he’d hope and the Raiders get him a little cheaper than anticipated. It’s a fluid situation and we’ll likely have to wait until free agency to see where the wide receiver is going to play in 2021.
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Insider on Key Raider: ‘I Would Be Surprised If He’s Back’