NFL Player News

Agholor, who signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Patriots in free agency, "projects as the (team's) No. 1 receiver," per NESN.com's Zack Cox.

Given the terms of his deal, that's hardly a surprise, but news of Julian Edelman's retirement only underscores that Agholor is in store for a key role in New England's offense this coming season. The 2015 first-rounder will look to build off a solid 2020 campaign in which he recorded 48 catches for 896 yards and eight TDs for the Raiders. In the process, Agholor displayed utility as a deep threat, en route to averaging 18.7 yards per catch. Ultimately, the 27-year-old's fantasy upside hinges on his how well his clicks with QB Cam Newton, but unless the Patriots select a wideout early in the upcoming NFL Draft, it's safe to assume that Agholor will be a good position to earn steady snaps and targets in 2021.

Bourne has an opportunity to emerge as the Patriots' top slot option with Julian Edelman having retired, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Like fellow free-agent acquisition Nelson Agholor and returnee Jakobi Meyers, Bourne has the versatility to line up outside or in the slot. Edelman's departure following a productive stint with the Patriots that began in 2009 sets the stage for a revamped wide receiver depth chart in New England this coming season. As things stand, Bourne -- who logged a 49-667-2 stat line in 15 games for the 49ers in 2020 -- is in line to be a key target for Cam Newton. If Agholor is deployed as a deep threat by New England, it's plausible that Bourne's share of the team's slot targets could translate into PPR relevance.

Johnson (hamstring) is poised to enter camp as Jacksonville's No. 4 wideout after the signing of Marvin Jones, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

The 23-year-old came on strong during the second half of 2020 before the hamstring injury sidelined him for the final two weeks of the season, but he won't begin camp in line for a significant role. Johnson, a 2020 fifth-round pick, flashed his potential with eight catches for 162 yards and one touchdown between Weeks 12 and 13 last year, but he wasn't a likely bet to open 2021 as the team's No. 3 wide receiver. He still figures to be involved in the offense, but Jones, DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault should start out as the Jaguars' top wideouts.

Carter signed with the Washington Football Team on Thursday.

Undrafted back in 2015, Carter has played 32 of his 43 NFL games for the Texans, logging 63 punt returns, 45 kick returns and 34 receptions. He's entering his age-28 season and still hasn't scored a touchdown in the NFL, but Carter nonetheless could fit with Washington as a return specialist and backup slot receiver. Come training camp, he'll compete with the likes of Steven Sims and Isaiah Wright, while Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Adam Humphries figure to see most of the first-team snaps.

Lockett and the Seahawks agreed Wednesday on a four-year, $69.2 million extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Lockett's new deal includes $37 million guaranteed, giving the reliable sixth-year wideout a well-deserved pay raise. With 3,076 receiving yards and 28 receiving touchdowns over the last three seasons, Lockett has clearly established himself as one of the league's premier deep-ball threats. His yards per reception fell off a bit in 2020, down to 10.5 from 12.9 in 2019, but he made up for the slight decline in efficiency with a career-high 100 catches. Even if Lockett ends up taking more of a back seat to rising superstar DK Metcalf in the future, his chemistry with Russell Wilson and ability to get open downfield and on short and intermediate routes should position him well for continued strong fantasy production.

Cephus has new competition at wide receiver after Detroit signed Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams to replace Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Despite the overhaul at the position, Cephus still seems like the future of the Lions wideout corps, considering both Williams and Perriman are only signed to one-year deals. Meanwhile, no other notable Lions wideout is under contract beyond 2021 besides Cephus. However, given this "band-aid" approach Detroit appears to be taking to wide receiver this offseason, the team may be planning on using the draft to add pass catchers, perhaps as early as the No. 7 overall pick. Should Detroit ultimately choose not to invest significant draft capital into a difference-making receiver or receivers, Cephus could be an under-the-radar PPR asset, given how his short-area game complements the deep-threat abilities of Williams and Perriman.

Ward signed his exclusive-rights tender with the Eagles on Monday.

Ward is now officially under contract with the Eagles, though there was never any doubt about that after the team extended him an ERFA tender in early March. He'll rejoin Philadelphia's receiving corps as a potential starter, in the mix alongside Travis Fulgham, John Hightower and Quez Watkins behind Jalen Reagor (head) as it currently stands.

The Bills signed Powell to a contract Friday, Sal Capaccio of WGR Sports Radio 550 Buffalo reports.

Powell contributed in both the return and offensive game for the Falcons during the 2020 campaign, with 8.9 yards per punt return and two receiving touchdowns. The versatile player's speed at receiver and in the return game will perhaps provide the Bills with a notable boost this year.

Snead agreed to a one-year contract with the Raiders on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Snead is the second veteran wideout to join the Raiders in free agency, alongside fellow potential starter John Brown. While Brown operates best as a deep threat, Snead's skill set lends him to usage in the slot, as does his reliability as a blocker in the running game. After Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards failed to live up expectations as immediate starters in their rookie campaigns, the addition of two veteran wideouts could alleviate some pressure for them as sophomores.

Higgins is no longer bothered by his hamstring injury from the end of last season, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com reports.

He technically played all 16 games as a rookie, but he was eased into action with 15 snaps Week 1, while the hamstring injury limited him to three snaps in the season finale. Over the 14 games in between, Higgins averaged 4.8 catches for 64.9 yards on 7.6 targets, scoring six TDs and putting up solid efficiency stats (62.6 percent catch rate, 8.5 YPT) despite playing for a four-win team that scored 19.4 points per game (29th). With A.J. Green and his 104 targets from last season now out of the picture, Higgins should take on an even larger role in the Cincinnati offense. The 22-year-old wideout has been working out in Arizona and should be a full-go for any team offseason activities.