Nelson Agholor, Patriots Agree To Reported Two-Year Contract

Hours after adding a tight end, the New England Patriots addressed their need at wide receiver.

Free agent wideout Nelson Agholor agreed to terms Monday on a contract with the Patriots, a source confirmed to NESN’s Doug Kyed. His deal is a two-year, $26 million pact, per a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report Agholor’s signing, which cannot be made official until the NFL league year opens at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Per NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, the contract carries a base value of $11 million per season, with an additional $2 million in available incentives.

After having to settle for a veteran-minimum contract with the Las Vegas Raiders last offseason, Agholor enjoyed the best year of his career in 2020, catching 48 passes for 896 yards with eight touchdowns while serving as a dangerous deep threat in Jon Gruden’s offense. His 18.7 yards-per-catch average ranked second in the NFL behind Green Bay’s Marques Valdez-Scantling (20.9).

Agholor, who turns 28 in May, spent his first five seasons in Philadelphia after being drafted 20th overall in 2015. His inconsistent hands made him a pariah among Eagles fans by the end of his tenure, but he was excellent against the Patriots in Super Bowl LII, catching nine passes on 11 targets for 84 yards in a 41-33 Philly win.

Agholor joins a Patriots receiving corps that featured just one consistently reliable target in 2020: breakout star Jakobi Meyers. Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Gunner Olszewski, Marqise Lee, Kristian Wilkerson, Isaiah Zuber and Devin Smith also are under contract for 2021, though it’s unclear whether Edelman will be healthy enough to return this season. Harry, New England’s first-round draft pick in 2018, has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate.

The Patriots, who were by far the most active team on the opening day of the NFL’s legal tampering period, also are signing receiver Kendrick Bourne to a three-year, $22.5 million contract, per Rapoport. Earlier in the day, they added tight end Jonnu Smith, defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, edge rusher Matt Judon and defensive back Jalen Mills.

NFL free agency officially opens Wednesday, at which point these contracts can be finalized.