Nelson Agholor revitalized his career in 2020 with the Las Vegas Raiders, but is he worthy of the franchise tag?
The question that the Raiders’ brain trust should be asking themselves is whether Agholor’s production warrants such priority. Can they, under no circumstance, allow him to walk in case no long-term agreement is reached? It appears the Raiders will cut ties with Tyrell Williams this offseason so that’s one contract off the books. This is important as it frees up space to lock up Agholor, assuming the Raiders plan on doing so.
Agholor became one of quarterback Derek Carr’s favorite targets alongside tight end Darren Waller in 2020. By season’s end, ‘Nelly’ had posted noteworthy numbers, totaling 896 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He also averaged 18.7 yards per reception with 230 yards after the catch, though he did have five drops. Nevertheless, he was the closest to a ‘number one wide receiver’ the Raiders had but this does mean they can’t afford to lose him?
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How much do the Raiders have to pay to ‘tag’ Agholor?
Pro Football Focus recently took a look at how much it could cost the Raiders to keep Agholor for at least one more year. They predict the franchise tag will cost Las Vegas a total of $15.80 million in 2021 and, on a side note, they brought up Agholor’s 73.8 PFF grade. That’s important since ’15’ isn’t a star player but in its context, it shows his importance to the Raiders. With Williams gone and Agholor potentially walking away, the Silver and Black would be rather thin at wide receiver.
More than just his stats, Agholor is also a proven champion, something the Raiders know little about. Also, it’s clear he’s a respected voice in the locker room after reports came out he called out his teammates following a loss late in the year. Moving forward, if no long-term contract can be agreed upon, Las Vegas will have to ‘tag’ one of their few bright spots from an otherwise, disappointing 2020 season.
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*Top Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images