Offseason Moves Suggest This Could Be Nelson Agholor’s Final Season in Philadelphia
After much speculation that they wouldn’t, the Eagles retained wide receiver Nelson Agholor and he will be on their 2019 roster. However, the team’s offseason moves suggest this could be Agholor’s final season in Philadelphia.
Set to have a cap hit of $9.4 million in 2019, many believed that the Eagles would move on from Agholor in order to use the money elsewhere. The Eagles ultimately kept Agholor, but that’s not without them using a multitude of assets and money to plan for the future; potentially without Agholor.
First, the Eagles traded for wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Not only did they trade for Jackson, but they immediately restructured and extended his deal, and Jackson now has a three-year deal with the Eagles, which is worth $27 million. Jackson is a premier deep threat and can play both outsides and in the slot, which is where Agholor specializes.
Then, the Eagles drafted wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Arcega-Whiteside is a big-bodied receiver and is a red zone threat, but the Eagles have reportedly been using him in the slot frequently in team activities, which, again, is where Agholor lines up.
Of lesser impact to Agholor but still noteworthy, the Eagles drafted running back Miles Sanders in the second round, which shores up the position for years to come. Along with that, the Eagles also traded for running back Jordan Howard.
After these moves, the Eagles have key players at running back, wide receiver, and tight end locked up for the next few years. Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and tight end’s Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert are all signed through 2021, and running back Sanders and wide receiver’s Jackson and Arcega-Whiteside are signed through 2022. Along with that, Carson Wentz was just extended through the 2024 season. Those seven players are shaping up to be the future of the offense at the playmaking positions.
However, one player is missing from that list, and that’s Agholor.
Agholor is only under contract for 2019 and is set to be an unrestricted free agent following next season. The Eagles have three wide receiver’s signed for, at minimum, the next three seasons, and they also have two big-time playmakers at tight end signed for the next three seasons as well.
Considering the Eagles also just extended Wentz, which will pay him $128 million, and a guaranteed number of $107 million, the team has to be smart with how they use their money, especially in longterm deals.
According to Over The Cap, the Eagles have just over $1 million in cap space for the 2020 season. Granted, Eagles executive of football operations Howie Roseman has been a mastermind at frequently creating significant cap space, but it’s still something to pay attention to. Along with the current limited future cap space, the Eagles have a number of key free agents set to hit the open market, including cornerback Ronald Darby, safety Rodney McLeod, linebacker Zach Brown, along with Howard and Agholor. Of course, a case could be made to prioritize Agholor over the other players in that list. However, it doesn’t make much sense to sign yet another wide receiver to a long-term deal with two players at the position already signed for a cap hit of $23.369 million in 2020 and a rookie in the fold that needs to see the field to grow.
When considering moving on from Agholor, the number one issue that comes to mind is who will take his spot at slot receiver. Agholor has been no pushover in the slot, as well. After struggling his first two seasons, Agholor is averaging 63 catches, 752 yards, and 6 touchdowns per season in the last two years. Those numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page, but Agholor has become a guy the team can trust in the role he plays, and he has brought some explosiveness to his position as well.
With Jackson now in the fold, explosiveness isn’t nearly as much as a need, though. If the team moves on from Agholor, they will have a few intriguing options at slot wide receiver.
The first that comes to mind is Ertz. This option has proven success in the past, and would also give Goedert the opportunity to get on the field more often, which is looking more and more like the team will have no choice but to do it regardless. In 2018, Ertz led all tight ends in the league with 56 receptions from the slot, and he’s arguably at his best when he isn’t lined up alongside the offensive line. This move would allow Goedert to see the field more at tight end, and Goedert is a better blocker than Ertz, which would be another positive to this move.
Another option is Arcega-Whiteside. At 6’3, Arcega-Whiteside would win the size battle against nearly every slot cornerback that he would face. Along with that, Arcega-Whiteside possesses what the Eagles call a “sneaky speed”, which would allow him to have the quickness to truly make a difference out of the slot. Playing in the slot isn’t necessarily Arcega-Whiteside’s spot of most comfort, but with more and more work, he could have the potential to develop into a serious problem for opposing defenses at that spot.
While it looks like the Eagles are primed to move on from Agholor after next season, that decision isn’t a guarantee, and he will be able to make his case during the next 16 games (and more, assuming the Eagles make the playoffs). Maybe the Eagles do prioritize Agholor over their other impending free agents. They had the chance to move on from a nearly eight-figure salary but instead decided to retain Agholor.
There has also been some talk (albeit quiet talk) that Jeffery may be the odd man out in the wide receiver group and not Agholor. Jeffery has a cap hit of $15.975 in both 2020 and 2021, which is the third-most on the team in 2020, and fourth-most in 2021. Jeffery is turning 30 next February, as well, which works against him a bit. However, Jeffery is the closest thing the Eagles have to a true number one wide receiver. If Jeffery’s cap space is the issue, there is no one better than Roseman to solve the problem.
To re-emphasize: there is no guarantee that 2019 will indeed be Agholor’s final season in Philadelphia, but there is also no guarantee that it isn’t, either.
Considering the current cap situation after next season and the moves made this offseason, all signs point to a legitimate chance that Agholor won’t be around after the final season of this decade.
Featured Image: Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports
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Categorized:Eagles