American Football: Meet Nelson Agholor , the only Nigerian-descent wide receiver in the NFL

One of the most popular sports in the USA is American football, or the NFL. Aside from its enormous fan base, the NFL is one of the sports with the most financial support in the United States.

The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable NFL franchise and the most valuable sports team in the world, according to Forbes, with a market value of around US$8 billion.

Furthermore, 16 NFL owners are featured on the Forbes 400, more than any other sports league or organization. Also, 26 of the 32 NFL teams are ranked among the Top 50 most valuable sports franchises in the world.

In the meantime, the clubs’ combined annual operating costs exceed $100 million on average.

In the USA, the NFL has flourished, with players from a variety of backgrounds contributing to its success. However, we have witnessed many Nigerians exhibiting their skills throughout the league.

SixSports writes about the foremost Nigerian-descent wide receiver Nelson Agholor who has been in the NFL for nine years. 

Nelson wouldn’t have begun his NFL career until he moved to the United States at the age of five, along with his family. Lagos is where the 30-year-old WR was born in 1993.

The Nigerian committed to Southern California over four universities in the pursuit of a professional NFL career after his passion in the sport blossomed while attending prep school in Tampa, Florida.

Nelson caught 179 passes for 2571 yards and 20 touchdowns in his college career.

Due to his excellent college career, the Philadelphia Eagles selected him as the 20th overall choice in the NFL Draft. He signed a rookie deal for four years worth $9.4 million, including a $5.1 million signing bonus.

What made Agholor exceptional 

Agholor while speaking with the athletic after joining the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 as a free agent for a year deal worth $ 3.25 million said he’s after greatness. Despite being 30, the Nigerian is still looking to win his second Superbowl ring in the NFL. 

TheAthletic published that; “It’s up there with some of the most fun I’ve had, and I’m super grateful for it because it came at a great time of my career, where I’m in this now to win football games and to do something special and have fun doing what I love.”

Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh while speaking about Nelson said the wide receiver is a hard worker.

“He’s a pro. Nelson knows how to play.” “He’s a big rangy receiver like you saw there when he made that catch. He runs routes really well, he’s a hard worker, he knows what he’s doing, and I’m sure glad we have him.”

Nelson Agholor has had a blissful career as a wide receiver in the NFL. In nine professional seasons, he has only failed to score over double-digit goals twice which was in the 2022 and 2023 seasons respectively. 

Currently, Agholor is still rocking in the NFL despite being in his early 30s. He has played 17 games scoring three times with 35 receiving across 381 yards.