The Eagles on Monday officially exercised the fifth-year option on Nelson Agholor’s contract after the wide receiver had a career year in 2017.
The option will keep Agholor in an Eagles uniform through the 2019 season.
Just a year ago, it seemed entirely unlikely this day would ever come. Many were already labeling Agholor as a bust after two disappointing seasons.
But Agholor, 24, broke out in a big way last season and helped the Eagles win their first-ever Super Bowl.
He caught 62 passes for 768 yards and eight touchdowns in 2017 and became the Eagles’ most explosive offensive weapon. As important, he carried over his regular-season success into the playoffs, when he caught 15 passes for 167 more yards. He caught nine passes for 84 yards in Super Bowl LII.
“This whole year’s been a blessing,” Agholor said after winning the championship. “At the end of the day, it’s me trying to be who I’m supposed to be. From here on out, I’ve just got to keep working hard and have great focus to get better each year.”
While many were ready to write off the 2015 first-round pick after two subpar seasons in the league, Agholor proved them all wrong in 2017. From the moment he got to spring workouts, he looked like a different player. He carried that momentum into the summer’s training camp and took over as the Eagles’ slot receiver after Jordan Matthews was traded to the Bills.
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Because Agholor was the 20th overall pick (outside the top 10) in 2015, his salary for the 2019 option year will be an average of third- through 25th-highest paid receiver in the league. That is estimated to come out to around $9.4 million for Agholor next season. That’s pricey, but not unreasonable. It’s also important to note that this money is guaranteed for injury only.
And there’s nothing preventing the Eagles and Agholor from working out a long-term deal before the option year kicks in. If Agholor ends up putting together an even better season this year, that $9.4M figure might look like even more of a bargain, but then maybe the Eagles can figure out a way to extend him to get his cap number down in what should be a difficult cap season.
The Eagles had to decide about Agholor’s fifth-year option by the deadline this week. It was much more of a no-brainer than anyone would have guessed not that long ago.