Why Patriots should explore trading Nelson Agholor

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — There is no superlative for Nelson Agholor at New England Patriots training camp this year. 

The eighth-year receiver is not the most natural separator on the team. That’s probably Jakobi Meyers, who leads the team in receptions from quarterback Mac Jones at camp. Agholor is not the fastest receiver on the team. That’s definitely Tyquan Thornton, who ran a 4.28 40 at the combine. And Agholor is not the biggest wideout on the team. That’s 6-foot-3, 218-pound DeVante Parker.

All this wouldn’t normally be a problem for Agholor, who is a solid player and has outplayed Kendrick Bourne, who seemed primed to take a substantial leap after a promising 2021 season. 

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Unfortunately, Agholor’s paycheck is his superlative. He is the team’s highest-paid receiver, set to make $9.8 million in new money in 2022, with a cap hit of $14.8 million, fifth-highest in the NFL alongside the likes of Cooper Kupp, Mike Williams and DeAndre Hopkins.

Agholor had a nice minicamp and played well in the early days of training camp, when the team had yet to strap on pads. That’s about when Bill Belichick fielded a question about Agholor’s development in the team’s system (which, by the way, is changing rapidly).

“It’s a big jump, big jump for him,” Belichick said earlier in camp. “He was here all offseason and had a really good offseason. He had a really good spring of training. He’s come out here and consistently made plays obviously down the field, which is very important. But also in other areas, very few mental errors, very few mistakes. So he’s looked good.”

This might come off as tin-foil-hat conspiratorial, but whenever Belichick produces a quote this complimentary, I think he’s up to something.

Check out what Belichick said about Parker, who has been arguably as good as Agholor.

“He’s shown up positively through the spring and through training camp. But, again, we’ll see how everything fits together. Good to have him, great to work with him. We’ll see how it goes.”

That answer will lull you to sleep. As far as Belichick’s quotes go, the Agholor quote is enough to get your blood pumping. What might Belichick be doing here? Well, he might be pumping up Agholor’s value for a trade. The veteran receiver finished 2021 with 37 catches for 474 yards and three touchdowns while playing 64.9% of the team’s snaps. The offense needed more.

If New England were to move Agholor, it could shed his $9.8 million salary. For a cap-strapped team such as the Patriots, who have just $5 million in salary-cap space, the trade would lead to the flexibility to acquire talent at other positions. Agholor might benefit, too. He is more likely to improve his free-agency value for 2023 on another team.

But more importantly, the Patriots might benefit from moving on from Agholor to free up more snaps for other receivers. In particular, Parker and Thornton would benefit. Parker joined the team this offseason in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. The fact that the Patriots were willing to part ways with a third-rounder in exchange for Parker (and a fifth-rounder) demonstrated the Patriots’ confidence that he would fit in their offense. 

And there’s evidence. Parker had career-high production in 2019 under former Dolphins offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea, who came from New England’s coaching tree. There are some similarities between that offense and the Patriots’.

“Shout-out to [Parker],” Bourne said during the first week of training camp. “He’s doing very well, adjusting to the team well. Buying in. Fits in well.”

With Parker, there is always a concern for injury. But that’s where Thornton comes in. New England traded up in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft to acquire him, and Thornton appears to be special. He is a natural separator and a sudden route-runner. What has been most impressive is that he attacks the field horizontally and vertically. New England has used him on drag routes and jet sweeps as he crosses through the defense.

“He’s fast. He’s elusive. A lot of people don’t realize how quick he is coming in and out of his break,” Meyers said of Thornton after a training camp practice. “I feel like Tyquan’s going to have a good career in the league. I’ll be excited watching him play.”

The Patriots seem to have five receivers they can rely upon (and of similar talent levels), and they also have two tight ends in Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry who figure to feature in a large way. New England can afford to part ways with one of their receivers, and Agholor makes plenty of sense.

So you’re wondering: What’s the catch? Well, there are probably three catches.

1. Agholor’s sizable salary will deter trade interest. When I mentioned the $9 million price to an AFC scout, he responded: “Bro, that’s a lot. I don’t think so.” 

Teams might feel he is too significant of a risk, given that he produced big numbers only in 2020. New England might have to give up draft assets to dump Agholor’s salary. Maybe they’d rather just keep him as a depth option. Then again, maybe they would absorb some of Agholor’s salary to sweeten the deal for another team.

2. As mentioned, Parker’s injury history is significant. The 29-year-old wideout has never played a full season and has missed eight or more games in four of his seven seasons.

3. Thornton is the most natural replacement for Agholor, but the Patriots might have drafted the Baylor standout with hopes that he’d be a factor in 2023 — not necessarily 2022. Maybe the departure of Agholor would place too much pressure and responsibility on Thornton too early. Maybe he’s simply not ready.

The Patriots have a few weeks before they have to decide whether they want Agholor for the start of the season. And New England could deal him at any point before the trade deadline at midseason. There isn’t a tremendous amount of urgency. 

But if Parker is healthy, and Thornton builds momentum, then the Patriots have to ask themselves whether Agholor is a necessary piece.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.