Kansas State Football: Jordy Nelson calls it a career
Former Kansas State football wide receiver Jordy Nelson announced his retirement on Wednesday. The former Wildcat had a great career as a pro football player.
Jordy Nelson was the pride and joy of Kansas State football. The Wildcats wide receiver was once a walk-on at K-State and went on to be one of their best receivers ever.
Nelson’s first year at K-State, which was in 2005, saw him haul in 45 receptions for 669 yards and eight touchdowns. It wasn’t until the 2007 season, however, that Nelson truly put his name in the record books.
That 2007 season saw Nelson grab 122 receptions for 1,606 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was truly a remarkable player during his time in Manhattan and that was proven by him being a second round pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 2008 NFL Draft.
🚨After more than a decade in the NFL, my brother, former #Packers & #Raiders WR @JordyRNelson is calling it a career. He’s stepping away from the game with more than 8,500 yards...72+ TD’s and as a SB Champion! I’m proud of him and happy for him and his family! #Ese’ #Respect
— James Jones (@89JonesNTAF) March 27, 2019
Nelson was already a great talent at wideout, but giving him Aaron Rodgers as a quarterback was a match made in heaven for the Kansas native. He spent ten years in Green Bay while playing nine seasons and finished his career as an Oakland Raider, where he spent the 2018 season.
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Nelson’s final numbers as an NFL wide receiver were 613 receptions for 8,587 yards and 72 touchdowns. He had four seasons where he went for over 1,000 yards receiving (all coming with the Packers) and recorded double digit touchdowns in three of his ten NFL seasons.
Nelson’s best seasons were:
- 2011 – 68 receptions for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns
- 2013 – 85 receptions for 1,314 yards and 8 touchdowns
- 2014 – 98 receptions for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns
- 2016 – 97 receptions for 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns
These were the seasons in which Nelson went for over 1,000 yards receiving and was one of the best receivers in the league.
Along with the impressive numbers, Jordy Nelson also won a Super Bowl ring in the 2010 season when the Packers took down the Steelers in Super Bowl 45. The Super Bowl title is a great resumé booster, but Nelson was also a Pro Bowler in 2014 and won the Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2016 after putting up over 1,250 yards receiving and finding the end zone 14 times.
Kansas State fans might have hoped that Nelson would potentially sign with the Kansas City Chiefs and play close to home, but it’s not hard to blame him for his decision to retire. Football is a brutal contact sport and the injuries have obviously taken a toll on Nelson.
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Jordy Nelson goes down as one of the all-time greats from Kansas State and fans wish him nothing but the best moving forward!