Nelson Agholor signed with the New England Patriots in 2021 as part of an out-of-character Patriots offseason, where coach Bill Belichick not only spent a pretty penny in free agency, but he drafted quarterback Mac Jones with the No. 15 overall pick.
It was the highest Belichick had ever selected a quarterback.
Nelson Agholor and the Patriots agreed to a two-year, $22 million ($16 million guaranteed at signing) deal that at the time was considered an overpay. The veteran receiver struggled in year one to produce in a new system, with 37 receptions for 473 yards and three touchdowns. However, outside of 2020 with the Las Vegas Raiders, it was his best season in terms of yards per catch.
Flash forward to 2022, with Agholor entering his second and final year carrying a $14.8 million cap hit, DeVante Parker brought in via trade with the Miami Dolphins, and the Patriots selecting Tyquan Thornton at No. 50 overall at the 2022 NFL draft, there is growing concern that he could be the odd man out in New England.
This training camp has seen the immediate emergence of Parker, Thornton, and Tre Nixon, who have all shown they deserve a roster spot. And with Ty Montgomery serving as the dual threat role, there needs to be some wiggle room created in a busy Patriots receiving core, which is something we haven’t heard of in years.
If the Patriots do decide to keep camp standouts, Nixon and Kristian Wilkerson, there will need to be a decision on Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, and Agholor in terms of who stays and who goes. And based on the 2021 success, Agholor is the guy.
Another interesting piece is that Meyers and Bourne both play very different roles compared to Agholor, and Thornton has already proven he could compete this season. And he just so happens to play the same role as a true deep threat receiver. The Patriots would also free up around $8.98 million in cap space, putting them at the expected $13 million-plus to operate for the season, per Miguel Benzan (PatsCap on twitter).
Was asked in a DM about the salary cap implications of removing Nelson Agholor from the Patriots roster. The shown trade scenario presumes Agholor is the only player in the trade. pic.twitter.com/C5L6DAiIY9
— Miguel Benzan Patriots Equals 5,477,214 (@patscap) August 12, 2022
So with all signs pointing towards a potential Nelson Agholor trade, or cut, we take a look at potential landing spots and what an expected package could be from the following teams.