For New England Patriots Receiver Nelson Agholor, Communication Skills Set Mac Jones Apart

The first year with the New England Patriots is in the rearview for veteran wide receiver Nelson Agholor.

The same is true for his quarterback.

Mac Jones posted a 10-7 record as a starter on the way to the AFC wild card in January. The No. 15 overall pick out of Alabama finished as an alternate for the Pro Bowl and as the runner-up for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The months since then have brought throwing sessions in Tampa and voluntary offseason workouts in Foxborough. But Agholor, who has caught passes from 11 different arms since arriving in the first round of the 2015 draft, isn’t only caught up in the throws from Jones.

“I think Mac’s greatest strength is his ability to communicate,” Agholor told reporters during a video conference on Tuesday. “Obviously, he’s a great quarterback. I think he throws the ball amazing, but I love the way he communicates, and that’s something that allows you to grow together and work together because communication is the key to every great relationship.”

Jones, 23, completed 67.6% of his pass attempts for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions during his initial regular season with New England. He went 35-of-62 when targeting Agholor, who also reeled in targets from wideouts Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne and totaled 473 yards to go with three scores.

The first TD of Jones’ NFL career went to Agholor out of play action in last September’s opener at Gillette Stadium.

It is on film to revisit with the rest.

“He does a great job telling me what he sees,” said Agholor, who started 13 games and appeared in 15. “He does a great job of telling me what he likes about what I’m doing. He does a great job of telling me things that are hard for me to read when I’m moving around. And once you know, it’s less gray area.”

Less gray area will be needed for Agholor. He landed with the Patriots on a two-year, $22 million contract last March and will turn 29 during organized team activities later this May. The former USC Trojan, Philadelphia Eagle and Las Vegas Raider carries a $14.882 million cap number with $5 million of his $9 million base salary fully guaranteed.

But also familiarity with the concepts, the route tree and the fellow Florida native under center.

“I mean, honestly, he’s doing a great job of developing,” Agholor added of the 6-foot-3, 217-pound Jones. “He shows up every day working hard like everybody else in the building. And he works hard, I can tell you that much. He leads by example with his effort each day. It’s consistent. He has consistent, hardworking effort. He trains really hard and he leads the bunch. So I think that that is definitely something you must respect about him, how he trains.

“I just go back to on-the-field play, his communication is everything. His ability to pick guys up, his ability to communicate not only to the linemen but to the backs and to the receivers and tight ends. He does a great job.”

In addition to the returning Agholor, Meyers and Bourne, New England’s projected receiver depth chart includes trade acquisition DeVante Parker from the Miami Dolphins and sudden second-rounder Tyquan Thornton from Baylor. Starting tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith also enter their second year in the fold.

“I think we have a wonderful opportunity because of the guys we played with a year ago,” Agholor said of the 2022 Patriots offense. “We know each other. We know our quarterback. We know who our quarterback is.”