Was WR Nelson Agholor Misused in the Patriots Offense (how to fix), or just a Terrible Contract/Signing from the Start?

[Froob]

The team that signs the contract is always responsible for he hit of the signing bonus.
So according to over the cap if he is cut the dead money is 10 mill and the savings is 5 mill.
The sb was 10 mill and 5 hit the cap last year so 5 is left.
HOWEVER his 2022 salary of 10 mill is guaranteed for 5 mill.
So if you cut him you have to pay him the 5, if you trade him the other team does.

Ah makes sense, thanks!

 

[RobertWeathers]

it seems at times there was stubbornness to not open up the playbook until they were behind.......i think for much of the season their belief was if they opened up too much they would open themselves up to more mistakes/TOs.......and Mac at times DID prove that.......but he also proved that when the chips were down, he could make plays......i think if they looked at playcalling in retrospect they might say they COULD have tried to open things up for Mac a little more.......I think they were playing the long game development wise, and I'm ok with that

Yep. I don't know if it was stubbornness or apprehension, misgivings or overly protective parenting....

I liken Mac's year to one of those kids that's 15 but if you let them test out they could graduate HS. They wanted to treat him like a rookie and ensure he got the full experience and not skip steps in his development or be put in situations he wasn't always 100% ready to handle. I feel they were very careful to manage his confidence but also push him where they felt he could be successful.

I have no doubt in my Bill and Josh are tickled to death with Mac's rookie year and are thrilled at his potential.

 

[Ring 6]

it seems at times there was stubbornness to not open up the playbook until they were behind.......i think for much of the season their belief was if they opened up too much they would open themselves up to more mistakes/TOs.......and Mac at times DID prove that.......but he also proved that when the chips were down, he could make plays......i think if they looked at playcalling in retrospect they might say they COULD have tried to open things up for Mac a little more.......I think they were playing the long game development wise, and I'm ok with that

This opens up a huge discussion. The first quarter and second quarter splits are very shocking in many ways. I’m gonna need to deep dive into that.

 

[amfootball]

I'm not a cap expert, but Miguel tweeted it a while back that you can save roughly 9M in a trade.

This was always going to be the issue with what we spent the first week of FA last year. The contracts that were given out are not ones you can climb out of easily because we overpaid for the talent which is what teams do who splurge in week one. It is also why as Kraft he noted last year, said the Patriots used to make fun of teams like the Jetes and Redskins for doing that year after year.

 

[‘Mondre]

Wrong.

11m for a left tackle (and an option that had to be exercised before the season started) is CHEAP.


Wrong again.

If you can't make your point honestly, you're not really making a point.

Agholor is paid like #2 WR in the NFL. That's what he is.
Godchaux is paid like a Tier 3 DL in the NFL. That's what he is.

To answer your question: imo, both Agholor and Smith were badly misused this year - maybe that had to do with McDaniels trying to find a comfort zone for Mac Jones.

Exactly. We don’t know what we have yet!

 

[yukon cornelius]

Yep. I don't know if it was stubbornness or apprehension, misgivings or overly protective parenting....

I liken Mac's year to one of those kids that's 15 but if you let them test out they could graduate HS. They wanted to treat him like a rookie and ensure he got the full experience and not skip steps in his development or be put in situations he wasn't always 100% ready to handle. I feel they were very careful to manage his confidence but also push him where they felt he could be successful.

I have no doubt in my Bill and Josh are tickled to death with Mac's rookie year and are thrilled at his potential.

agreed 100%

 

[Thelonious]

He is a reasonably fast but undisciplined receiver averse to any extra effort, with hands of wood. I have NO idea why the Pats ever valued him as highly as they did. Given his salary, he's a bust.

 

[stcjones]

Nelson Agholor was signed by the Patriots for 2 years, $26M. Not the worst contract on the team, unfortunately, given other 2022 albatross cap hits like Jonnu ($50M/4), Wynn ($11m), Godchaux (11M). Agholor put up 37 receptions for 473 yards and 3 TD's in this Patriots offense in 2021, a huge drop from the prior year of 900 yards and 8TD's, as well as below his historical production. One of the worst contracts on the team.

Was Agholor misused this year in the Patriots offense, or was it just a bad signing from the start?

For comparison, in 2020 on the Raiders, Agholor put up 48 receptions for 896 yards and 8TD's (leading the entire league in yards per reception), and also when on the Eagles he put up 2 good years, in 2017 had 62 receptions for 768 yards (8TDs) and in 2018 he put up 64 receptions for 736 yards.

What did minds like Frank Reich, Mike Groh, Gruden, and Greg Olsen figure out about Nelson Agholor on the Raiders and Eagles, that the Patriots offensive staff hasn't figured out yet??

Report: Agholor Joining Patriots on $26 Million Deal

Agholor had career highs in receptions and touchdowns catches in 2020 with the Raiders.

www.si.com

Misused….rook QB with a very conservative game plan…..not utilizing Agholor strong suit….

 

[nickw308810]

I actually think Agholor can be a big part of the future, for next season at least. Even though I know it isn’t quite this simple because you can move receivers around depending on matchups, a traditional x wr has been the patriots Achilles heel for years. They kept lining up people like Dorsett and Byrd for Tom. The last successful one was Josh Gordon and even that was hit or miss. IMO this is why Harry was drafted over Deebo, AJ and others was because they needed someone they felt could be an x wr early on. Obviously, that was the wrong call.

Hopefully his numbers can improve by either Mac’s development and taking the starter reps right away in training camp and just those two knowing each other better and getting on the same page.

But even if they don’t, having Agholor be able to be a solid outside wr really gives the Patriots the opportunity to find a true playmaker opposite him. They aren’t forced to go after a Harry type. Even though the numbers show otherwise, I actually believe it was Meyers that was more of the reason for the offense not being explosive...he was playing the position that in the past has usually produced playmakers. And while his effort was solid, if the team added an explosive slot or z Wr, the offense will have the big play ability that people are clamoring for. That player, Bourne and Meyers can split time at z/slot.

 

[‘Mondre]

I pretty much agree with all of what you are saying but the last sentence.....and obviosly the Patriots had Moss for more than one year. If you are talking Miller from Tampa Bay, he seems to really best be suited to Nelson Agholor insurance or cheap replacement if he was on a rookie contract. Despite watching him the last two years when he was healthy at least, I haven't seen enough out of him to think he could be a good slot receiver. At the end of the season, he really had gone down Tampa's wide receiver depth chart from 4th last year to 6th or 7th this year. He was even behind Tyler Johnson and 2 other players picked up off the scrap heap. A lot of this was Tampa trying to replace the slot ability of Godwin/Brown and the blocking of Godwin. Miller wasn't deemed good in those areas.

And as for slot receiver, I really think the Patriots need an elite one to move the ball in that area. They have a bunch of okay ones but no one that is elite.

I tend to agree that Belichick is never overly fixated on acquiring number 1 receivers but Cooks was a number 1 receiver based upon his salary and what teams have traded for him and his production...just a lower tier one so that is why Belichick rented at a reasonable cost instead of bought. 2300 yard and 17 TDs were his combined stats the two years before Belichick traded for him. Belichick does care about number 1 receivers since he is a football historian and realizes they can help win Super Bowls but he just isn't going to overpay for a traditional one if he feels the market is out of whack and he would be better off investing elsewhere.

Outside a true number 1 receiver or elite slot receiver....the Patriots easiest path to getting better on offense is just improving the offensive line which would give all the receivers/tight ends a little more time to get open and hoping for some internal growth from Mac Jones.

Yup. Keep the line good, if macs the Dood, it’ll all fall into place.

 

[captain stone]

The weapons in New England in 2021 isn’t why they lost in the playoffs.

They weren't, but they were part of the reason why they didn't retain the #1 seed.