How’s Nelson Agholor handling offseason trade rumors?

After hearing non-stop trade rumors throughout the offseason, where is Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor’s head at?

A few years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles made one of their most controversial first-round picks to date. With Chip Kelly in charge of all front office moves, they selected USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor with the 20th overall pick. Although many were confused as to who Agholor was at the time, his size chart emulated their top wide receiver, which they lost in Jeremy Maclin.

As a first-rounder, Agholor was expected to come in and start right off the bat. Despite playing in mostly in the slot with the Trojans, the Eagles were hoping that along with Agholor’s adjustment to the NFL, he would transition well to the outside as well. Unfortunately, none of that went as planned. During year one, Agholor caught 23 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown.

His Sophomore season was what you would call a ‘Sophomore Slump.’ While he did improve, 36 catches for 365 yards and two touchdowns isn’t precisely a killer stat line for a first-rounder. And after being one of the drop leaders in the NFL, the bust label was beginning to get placed on Agholor. Thankfully though, year three was much better. After getting moved to the slot with the dealing of Jordan Matthews, Agholor accounted for 768 yards and eight touchdowns.

At that point, Agholor was viewed as one of the better slot wideouts in the game. His fourth season wasn’t as effective — but considering the Eagles’ offensive struggles as a whole, nobody was pointing the finger at Agholor. However, he became a hot topic during the 2019 offseason as his fifth-year option was in place, and he was set to get paid over $9 million for the season.

The trade rumors began…

It was clear the Eagles needed to make upgrades to their offense in the offseason. While they had a solid wide receiver corp, it just wasn’t enough. So they went out and traded for DeSean Jackson. Suddenly, the Eagles are dishing out a ton of dollars to the position with Alshon Jeffery and Jackson on board, along with Agholor’s option looming.

Knowing the Eagles like to get the bang for their buck, it seemed as though Agholor’s production doesn’t exactly match his salary for next season. So the trade rumors started rolling in, and Agholor was expected to be dealt at some point. Now that we are in the OTAs phase of the offseason though, Agholor’s money for this season became guaranteed as he remains on Philly’s roster. At this point, it’s clear that he’s in the teams’ plans for at least next year.

Will the rumors affect his play?

When a player hears their name on the trade block, it can be a bit discouraging. Nothing says “we don’t want you anymore,” quite like a trade proposal. Agholor began his career in Philly and struggled mightily. They didn’t give up on him then. Now that he’s actually a decent wideout, why would they consider giving up on him now? Whatever the reason may be, Agholor is okay with it.

"“I didn’t really worry about it. At the end of the day, I love this place. We have unfinished business. You gotta think about it, though? What am I worried about? Am I worried that I’m going to have a job in this league? If not, not at all. I want to be an Eagle and I’m here. At the end of the day, that’s for them to control and for me to say, ‘hey, I’m ready to play football for the Eagles.’ I’m ready to play football in general.”"

According to Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philly, Agholor’s mind is in a good place. He views the trade rumors as precisely what they are… Rumors. As long as he’s playing football, he’s happy. However, having the opportunity to remain in Philly for at least 2019 makes Agholor feel at ease. Wether he will be here for 2020 and beyond is a different story, but the main focus right now is on getting back to the big game, and winning another ring while the window is still open.