New England Patriots Receiver Nelson Agholor Could Be ‘Almost Like A Quarterback’ For Mac Jones

Mac Jones attempted 62 passes to Nelson Agholor during their first regular season as teammates.

More attempts have been made since then. More were needed. And while the quarterback is a New England Patriots rookie no longer, the same holds true for the veteran wide receiver who arrived on a two-year, $22 million contract in free agency last March.

That was seen as the second quarter opened Friday night at Gillette Stadium against the Carolina Panthers. A stutter step off the line of scrimmage quickly ended 45 yards down the left sideline. It did on an over-the-shoulder go ball from No. 10 to No. 15 as defensive backs Keith Taylor Jr. and Juston Burris closed in.

That connection set up a touchdown run after consecutive drives had ended in punts for New England. And it was one of two connections they shared in a span of five snaps, with the offense’s initial third-down conversion preceding it underneath.

“A lot of work, and a lot more work to continue to be done,” Agholor said during his press conference following New England’s 20-10 exhibition win. “You know, we’re just working every day. But there’s a lot of work to be on the same page and speak the same language, but we keep going.”

Agholor had set career highs with 896 yards and 18.7 yards per reception back in 2020 during his lone campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders. The USC product and Super Bowl LII champion also tied a career high from his Philadelphia Eagles tenure with eight touchdowns.

Yet over the course of 15 games and 13 starts in 2021, there were 37 passes caught. Those passes became 473 yards and three touchdowns.

The modest production played a part in why Agholor, a 2015 first-round draft choice, was viewed as a potential trade candidate entering training camp. So did the reality that no Patriots wideout entered it with a larger share of the salary cap than the 29-year-old.

His upcoming $14.882 million charge remains fifth around the NFL at the position, according to OverTheCap.com, and third across all positions on the New England roster. And it is a roster that also includes Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne as well as rookie second-round pick Tyquan Thornton, who exited the evening with a shoulder injury, on the depth chart.

Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Tre Nixon and Kristian Wilkerson have also shown recent flashes of 53-man traits for New England. But whether its outside or in the slot, where Pro Football Focus charted Agholor for only 9.9% of his offensive volume last season, there is reason to believe there is a place for his.

“I love Nelson,” Jones had told reporters after joint practices with Carolina concluded earlier in the week. “He’s obviously very quick, very fast. He loves football. I don’t know that I’ve seen a receiver who understands football as well as he does in terms of just general knowledge. He’s almost like a quarterback out there. All of our guys have worked really hard. We put in a lot of work together in the offseason. He was at all of the throwing sessions. That’s what we’re trying to grow from, like: ‘Remember that one time we were throwing and I told you to do this? Let’s try it on the next play.’”

Jones stayed in for three drives worth of plays in his 2022 preseason debut. The 23-year-old Pro Bowl alternate completed 4-of-8 passes for 61 yards with no touchdowns nor interceptions before quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Bailey Zappe stepped on in relief.

“I think he’s in the right place right now,” Agholor added of Jones. “He’s getting better every day. I think he’s a guy that approaches every day with a certain level of focus and professionalism to be the best he can be.”

Ahead for the Patriots are joint practices with Agholor’s former Raiders leading up to next Friday’s 8:15 p.m. ET preseason finale at Allegiant Stadium.