To the surprise of just about everyone, the Raiders’ most productive wide receiver this year has been none other than Nelson Agholor.
In the last six games, Agholor has drawn 49 targets from Derek Carr, and trails only Darren Waller (59) in targets during that stretch. Hunter Renfrow is the next closest with 31 targets in the last six games.
The Raiders got great value from Agholor’s one-year, $1.05 million deal, but he is set to hit free agency after the season and the Raiders have a decision to make in terms of bringing him back. It’s a safe assumption that Jon Gruden won’t want to part ways with Agholor and the team has been trying to re-sign him. But Agholor is 27 years old and this figures to be his best and maybe final opportunity sign a lucrative long-term deal.
It would make sense if Agholor goes into the offseason looking to take the contract offering the most money. The Raiders might benefit from the friendly Nevada tax laws, but it’s hard to imagine Agholor giving the Raiders any real home-team discount.
Ordinarily, Agholor’s production would catch the eye of general managers around the league, but this year might be a little different with the free agent class at wide receiver projected to be stronger than usual. To name a few players likely to hit free agency this year: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chris Godwin, Curtis Samuel, Corey Davis, Rashard Higgins, Will Fuller, Kenny Golladay, Allen Robinson, Sammy Watkins, T.Y. Hilton, Marvin Jones, A.J. Green, and Antonio Brown.
Losing Agholor in free agency would leave Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards as the top wide receivers on the Raiders’ depth chart, and while that scenario would be ideal for the development of Ruggs and Edwards, the 2020 season hasn’t necessarily assured anyone that either one are ready to assume Agholor’s role.
Just a guess… look for Agholor to test free agency and end up back with the Raiders on a deal that figures to be a little below what he might have gotten in other years. In that scenario, the good news for Agholor is that there probably aren’t many (if any) better situations for him to shine like he has in Las Vegas. He has earned Carr’s trust (which others have failed to do in the past) and could feasibly find himself among the league leaders at his position with another year in Jon Gruden’s offense.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Defensive coach Raiders Fischer! Go get him now!
No decision to be made. Bring him back, no and, ifs or buts. It’s that simple. Mayock and Gruden have failed when they try to outsmart people. This deal worked, now resign him.
**** Straight N.A better be a Raider Next season. I will always be a fan and a hardcore at that but **** GRUDEN BETTER PULL HIS HEAD OUT OF HIS *** AND MAYOK TOO. IM TIRED OF SEEING ONE OF THE BETTER COACHES AND A DECENT GM JUST LOOK LIKE IDIOTS. OH YEAH AND CUT ARDEN KEY HES GARBAGE ANYWAYS KEEP NASSIB,CLEE,MAD MAXX,VBJ,NICKK,CORLIT,MULLEN,ABRAM,HEATH,I.JOHNSON, ON DEFENSE AND CARR,JACOBS,
AGHOLOR,WALLER,
WILLIAMS, BROWN,RUGGS,
RENFROW,BOOKER,
RICHARD,INGOLD
,MAURAEU,MARIOTA, HUDSON,JACKSON, INCOGNITO, THATS YOUR CORE I GUARANTEE SUPER BOWL RING NEXT SEASON. BUILD AROUND THAT FOUNDATION.
Will there be more scapegoats in Las Vegas?
Posted by Mike Florio on January 3, 2021, 1:11 PM EST
Jon Gruden’s return to the Raiders has not gone well. So not well that a loss on Sunday against the Broncos on Sunday will drag his record over the last three years to 18-30 — and it would drop him to 113-111 for his regular-season career, just two games over .500.
Win or lose today, the late-season firing of defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has others around the league monitoring the Raiders situation to see whether other Raiders employees on the coaching staff or in the front office will be fired after the season ends. Without naming names (do we need to?), pretty much anyone and everyone could be in position to be replaced, as Gruden apparently looks for a way to shift blame from himself to others.
Of course, it doesn’t matter if all the blame is on Gruden. He’s going nowhere, not with owner Mark Davis placing the ongoing employment of Gruden as the coach over winning games.
Whether that changes as the Raiders get deeper into the 10-year contract that Gruden signed three years ago remains to be seen, especially since it’s believed that the full $100 million isn’t guaranteed. Regardless, a fourth straight failed season could put Gruden under .500 for his career — and it possibly would get Raiders fans to start asking tougher questions about the short- and long-term future of the team.
Unless and until Mark Davis starts asking tough questions, Gruden will remain in place, no matter how much the team struggles.
He balled out, bring him back!