After his tenure with the Green Bay Packers came to an end with his release, Jordy Nelson has now signed with the Oakland Raiders. The deal is reportedly for two years and worth $15 million with $13 million guaranteed. He will now be catching passes from Derek Carr.
Raiders are giving Jordy Nelson a two-year, $15 million deal, per source, including the $13 million guaranteed that @89JonesNTAF reported.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2018
Jordy Nelson and Oakland Raiders Agree to Two-Year, $15 Million Deal
The release of Nelson from the Packers came as a surprise. The connection that he and Aaron Rodgers had was one of the more terrifying in the league. His release made him the hottest wide receiver available on the market and it did not take long for him to get scooped up. While the relatively small deal suggests concerns about his age and durability, there still is certainly potential for him with the Raiders.
His 2017 season was his least productive since 2010, back when he was buried on the depth chart. In 15 games, he only had 482 yards with six touchdowns. However, this could be attributed to the injury to Rodgers. In the seven games that Rodgers started, Nelson had 318 yards. Backup Brett Hundley found more of a connection with Davante Adams instead. It will remain to be seen whether Carr can get good chemistry with Nelson and get his numbers back up.
Nelson played college football at Kansas State from 2003-2007. In his senior year, he exploded onto the scene with 1,606 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He was selected as first-team All-Big 12 and earned All-American honors as well.
He was drafted in 2008 by the Packers. While he was low on the depth chart early in his career, he eventually established a strong connection with Rodgers. In his career, he has had 7,848 receiving yards with 69 touchdowns. He went to the Pro Bowl in 2014 and was elected as second-team All-Pro that same year. He also was the Comeback Player of the Year in 2016 after returning from a torn ACL that caused him to miss the entire 2015 season and still putting up 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns that year.
