Patriots: Nelson Agholor signing could be disaster
By Sam Minton
The New England Patriots made some great moves on Monday, but one of them seems rather risky. The Pats signed Nelson Agholor to a two-year deal worth $26 million.
Agholor has had quite the career in the NFL. After struggling with the Eagles in 2019, Agholor did rather well for himself in 2020 with the Raiders.
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Last season, Agholor had 48 catches for 896 yards and 8 touchdowns. After 2020 New England would be begging for production like that.
The Patriots still don’t know what to expect out of Julian Edelman. It seems like he will still be banged up when the 2021 season arrives.
But this seems to be a move that could hurt the Patriots if the cookie crumbles the wrong way.
Why the Nelson Agholor signing could be a disaster for the Patriots.
Now there is a chance that Agholor repeats what he did with the Raiders. He could become Cam Newton’s favorite target and revitalize New England’s passing game.
Agholor is also still rather young at the age of 27. It’s surprising that the Patriots didn’t try and lock him up for the prime of his career.
But Agholor’s contract is pretty steep. New England likely overpaid unless Agholor ends up tallying 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Patriots could have spent that money on better receivers. Signing a player like JuJu Smith-Schuster makes more sense than bringing in Agholor.
Smith-Schuster is a younger player who has had much more success in his career. He had almost 100 catches last season.
If Smith-Schuster came to New England there would be no doubt about him doing well. He would become one of the best players on the Patriots offense.
The lack of commitment from the Pats shows that they aren’t exactly sure if Agholor will live up to expectations. Throughout his career, he has had problems with dropping the ball. There’s a chance that problem comes back in 2021.
Also opposing corners will be able to focus on Agholor since New England doesn’t have a lot of options. All the pressure will be on Agholor. Will he be able to live up to the hype?
While there is a chance that Agholor and New England have a great season in 2021, there is a chance that Agholor has a setback season and hamper the Patriots offense. If that is the case, New England will be wishing that they have spent their money elsewhere and likely be on their way to another mediocre season.