Patriots add pair of wide receivers amid hot start to free agency

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots continued their hot start to 2021 free agency Monday, reportedly adding a pair of wide receivers to round out a Day One where they also signed three defensive players and a tight end.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported just before 6:30 p.m. on Monday that New England had reached an agreement with WR Nelson Agholor on a two-year deal worth $26 million.

Agholor spent five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the Las Vegas Raiders a season ago. The 27-year-old Agholor was selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Since then, he’s hauled in 272 career passes for 3,411 total yards and 26 touchdowns.

A season ago he found the end zone eight times, tying a career-high. He also set a career-high with 896 receiving yards while -- for the third time in four years -- playing in all 16 regular-season games.

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Moments after Agholor’s deal with the Patriots was announced, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that New England had also inked WR Kendrick Bourne to a three-year deal worth $22.5 million.

Just 25, Bourne has played four seasons in the NFL, all of them with the San Francisco 49ers. Last year he hauled in 49 passes for 667 yards, both career highs while catching a pair of touchdowns. Bourne appeared in 15 games for the 49ers in 2020 and was placed on the IR/COVID-19 list twice.

A season ago, the Patriots had just two receivers tally more than 400 yards in the air, and none caught more than two touchdown passes.

The pair of signings rounded out a busy Day One for New England, who signed four other free agents while also retaining DL Deatrich Wise, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. In addition to Agholor and Bourne, the Patriots reportedly agreed to deals with TE Joonu Smith, NT Davon Godchaux, LB Matt Judon and CB Jalen Mills.

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