Jordy Nelson

Jordy Ray Nelson (born May 31, 1985) is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Kansas State, and received All-America honors. Nelson was drafted by the Packers in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He won Super Bowl XLV with the team over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2010 season. He is regarded by sports analysts as being one of the few elite wide receivers in the NFL.

Nelson was born in Manhattan, Kansas, to Alan and Kim Nelson, farmers who lived in Riley and had season tickets to Kansas State football games. The Nelson farm, originally established by a Swedish immigrant, has been in the family for four generations.

He attended Riley County High School in Riley, Kansas, and played football for the Falcons. During his senior year playing quarterback, he completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,029 yards and eight touchdowns. Nelson also rushed for 1,572 yards, averaging 9.8 yards per carry with 25 touchdowns. He was named Flint Hills Player of the Year by the Manhattan Mercury. In 2003, he played in the Kansas Shrine Bowl. He was also an all-state basketball player, averaging 17.2 points per game his senior year for the Falcons.

Nelson was an outstanding track and field athlete, and won a national AAU championship in the 400 meters as a 10-year-old. In 2003, his senior year at Riley County High School, he won the state titles in Class 3A in the: 100 meters, with a time of 10.63 seconds; 200 meters, with a time of 21.64 seconds; 400 meters, with a time of 48.79; and long jump, with a leap of 7.00 meters.

Nelson attended Kansas State University, where he played for coach Bill Snyder's Wildcats football team from 2003 through 2005. When Snyder retired after the 2005 season, Nelson remained with Kansas State and played the rest of his college career (2006 and 2007) under Ron Prince.

Nelson began his college career as a walk-on at Kansas State, and took his redshirt year as a member of the Wildcats' 2003 Big 12 Championship team. He was set to play defensive back in college, but during spring practice following his first year, Snyder moved him to the wide receiver position. During his sophomore campaign, Nelson caught 45 passes for eight touchdowns, elevating expectations for the junior wide receiver as he was listed on the Biletnikoff Award watch list. Injuries kept him off the field most of his junior year, leading to a disappointing junior season, in which he caught only 39 passes for one touchdown.

After going unnoticed his junior year, Nelson broke out during his senior year and was among the nation's best wide receivers. He earned consensus All-American honors and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is awarded to the most outstanding receiver in college football, after catching 122 passes for 1,606 yards and 11 touchdowns. Nelson also showed his versatility by throwing two touchdown passes and returning two punts for touchdowns.

Statistics

2008 season

Nelson was selected in the second round (36th overall) by the Green Bay Packers in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was the third wide receiver taken in the draft, after Donnie Avery and Devin Thomas. On July 27, 2008, he signed a contract with the Packers.

Jordy Nelson in August 2011

Nelson scored his first touchdown reception on September 14, 2008, a 29-yard pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers. A second touchdown followed in Week 14 against the Houston Texans. Nelson finished his rookie campaign with 33 receptions for 366 yards.

2009 season

In 2009, Nelson played in 13 games for the Packers, catching 22 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. He also saw action as the primary kick returner for most of the 2009 season.

2010 season

In 2010, Nelson set career highs in receiving yards (582) and catches (45), while catching two touchdown passes for the third straight year. Following the injury to Aaron Rodgers against the Detroit Lions on December 12, 2010, it was revealed that Nelson was third on the Packers' quarterback depth chart.

After two strong outings in the 2010–11 playoffs against Atlanta and Chicago, Nelson caught a 29-yard touchdown pass on third-and-1 with Steeler William Gay covering, for the first score of Super Bowl XLV. "This was Jordy last week: 'I think we need to convert on third downs to win the game.' ... Rodgers threw a terrific pass, capping an 80-yard touchdown drive," a live-blog reported. In the balance of the game, Nelson struggled some and made no more touchdowns. However, he recovered from a dropped pass early in the fourth quarter to make a 38-yard play on the next down, taking the Packers to the Steelers' two-yard line. Nelson was the top receiver of the game with nine receptions for 140 yards (both career highs), while also gaining 19 more yards on a kick return. Nelson's contributions in the Super Bowl would assist the Packers in defeating the Steelers by a score of 31-25.

2011 season

Jordy Nelson in November 2011

Coming off his strong performance in Super Bowl XLV, and a good start to the 2011 season, Nelson signed a three-year, $13.35 million contract extension early into the season on October 2, 2011. Nelson finished the 2011 regular season with career highs in touchdowns (15), receptions (68), and receiving yards (1,263). He had a career-high three touchdown receptions in the season finale against the Detroit Lions, and moved into sole possession of third place for most receiving touchdowns in a single season in Packers franchise history, behind only Sterling Sharpe (18) and Don Hutson (17). He was named a Pro Bowl alternate.

2012 season

In 2012, Nelson played in 12 games, starting ten; he missed four games and most of another two games due to a hamstring injury. He had 49 receptions for 745 yards and scored seven touchdowns in the 2012 season.

2013 season

In 2013, Nelson posted career highs with 85 receptions for 1,314 yards (a 15.5 average) and eight touchdowns. In the 2013 season, he started all 16 games for the first time in his career and was again named as a Pro Bowl alternate.

2014 season

On July 26, 2014, Nelson signed a four-year extension worth $39 million, receiving an $11.5 million signing bonus toward a guaranteed $14.2 million.

During Week 2 against the New York Jets, Nelson had nine receptions for a 209 yards. It was his first career 200-yard receiving game as the Packers defeated the Jets, 31–24, despite having trailed 21–3. He also became the first Packer since Javon Walker in 2004 to have 200 or more receiving yards in a single game. With a career-high 1,519 receiving yards on the season, Nelson passed Robert Brooks (1,497) to capture the Packers' receiving yards in a season record.

2015 season

In a Week 2 preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field, Nelson caught an eight-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers, but then fell to the turf without contact. He limped to the sidelines with an apparent knee injury and did not return to the game. MRI scans deemed that Nelson had torn the ACL in his right knee. He remained inactive for the remainder of the 2015 season.

2016 season

Nelson would return from his ACL injury in 2016 and return to his 2014 form. He had a successful return season in 2016 with 97 receptions, 1,257 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns. His 14 receiving touchdowns led the NFL for the 2016 season. In week 15, he caught a 60-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to beat the Bears 30-27. He was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year for the 2016 season after missing the entire 2015 season with the torn ACL.

Regular season

Postseason

Jordy Nelson married his longtime girlfriend, Emily (née Rothlisberger), in 2007, after proposing on a family vacation to Cancun. Emily played basketball at Bethel College in Kansas. The couple have two sons, Royal and Brooks.

Nelson is a Christian and has spoken about his faith by saying, "Now, as a husband, father and, most importantly, as a Christian, I can see the Super Bowl Champion label with a greater perspective. I know it’s an opportunity to share the most important truth of life: the gospel of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."

On August 20, 2015, Nelson's alma mater, Kansas State, revealed that they would name their football team's locker room the "Nelson Family Locker Room" after him, after Nelson donated an undisclosed amount to renovate their athletic facilities.

After the end of a NFL season, Nelson returns to his family farm in Riley, Kansas. He puts in work up to 12 hours a day. Some of the tasks he does are driving a combine to cut wheat or rounding up the 1,000-cow herd in Riley. Nelson said that he identifies more as a farmer than as a football player.