Jordy Nelson, one of the NFL’s best wide receivers in the past decade, is calling it a career after 11 years of catching passes.
Nelson was one of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ top targets during the ten years that he spent as one of the focal points of the Green Bay Packers’ offense.
A relatively unheralded second-round pick out of Kansas State in the 2008 NFL Draft, Nelson became one of the top pass catchers in the league after three years as mostly a secondary player.
His first touch of fame came in Super Bowl XLV in 2011, when his team defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the title. Nelson caught a 28-yard pass from Rodgers to open the scoring in the game, which Green Bay eventually won 31-25.
Shortly after, in the 2011 regular season, Nelson exploded, catching 68 passes for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns in the Packers’ 15-1 regular season.
He spent the better part of the next decade as one of the top targets in the NFL. He put up four 1,000-yard seasons and was named a Pro Bowl and second-team All Pro selection in 2014, his best season. He caught 98 passes for 1,519 passes and 13 receiving touchdowns that year.
After a disappointing 2017 season with the Packers, he was cut and then spent last season with the Oakland Raiders. He finished 2018 with 63 catches for 739 yards and only 3 touchdowns.
Now, the 32-year-old is calling it quits and hanging up his cleats.
