The Raiders have a lot of work to do this offseason as they look to rebuild their team for a playoff run in 2021. Luckily, they don’t have many (key) free agents scheduled to leave this offseason. It will be a year in which the Raiders add talent, not lose it.
However, the one big free agent the Raiders do have in 2021 is wide receiver Nelson Agholor. The former first-round pick has quickly emerged as one of Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden’s best signings as he is second on the team in receptions and yards.
In a recent piece by Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic, he named each team’s top pending free agent and not surprisingly, Agholor was the player mentioned for the Raiders. Here is what he had to say about the veteran receiver:
“He was a free agent last offseason and had to settle for a one-year, $1.05 million contract. But Agholor has bounced back with a career year, totaling 839 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 17.9 yards per reception. He’ll be 28 in May and could cash in with a nice contract this offseason.”
The Raiders will have a difficult decision to make this offseason regarding Agholor. Considering how well he has played, it seems like the team must bring him back. But the Raiders did spend two top-100 picks on receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft. Will they opt to save the cap space for defense and let the likes of Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards develop? That remains to be seen.
However, given the Agholor didn’t have a strong market in 2020, it wouldn’t be surprising if he returns to the Raiders on another fairly reasonable deal. A one-year contract worth around $5 million seems like a fair deal for both parties. Look for the Raiders to ultimately bring back Agholor for the 2021 season as he is a crucial piece to this offense.
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