Raiders happy to have receiver Jordy Nelson on their side
ALAMEDA, Calif. — After spending his first 10 NFL seasons in Green Bay with the same quarterback and head coach, Jordy Nelson acknowledged it took a little time to adjust to his new environment with the Oakland Raiders.
Nelson got over that fairly quickly and has done his best to fit in and adjust right away, becoming a leader in the receiver room and a trusted target for quarterback Derek Carr.
“He’s been a playmaker on the field,” coach Jon Gruden said Monday. “He’s been a consistent, reliable target at a couple positions. He’s been a real good influence behind the scenes. We’ve been really, really happy with his addition to this team.”
Nelson gets the chance to reunite with Aaron Rodgers, coach Mike McCarthy and the rest of his former Packers teammates when Green Bay visits the Raiders on Friday night in an exhibition game.
“Those are the guys you miss that you see day-today, that you don’t get to talk to as much as you’re used to,” Nelson said. “It’ll be fun to see them. It’s kind of enjoyable as a preseason game so we can have some fun and get in and get out.”
The 33-year-old Nelson struggled last season with 53 catches for 482 yards and six TDs, recording a career-low 9.1 yards per reception as Rodgers missed more than half the year with injuries. Nelson had 25 catches for 290 yards and all six of his TDs in five games before Rodgers broke his collarbone last season.
Those numbers plummeted once Brett Hundley took over and the Packers released Nelson in March. He signed a two-year deal with the Raiders, who believe he still has burst left in his game.
Carr heard plenty about Nelson from his former college teammate at Fres, no State, Davante Adams, who played the past four seasons with Nelson in Green Bay. Carr said the only thing that has surprised him about Nelson is that he still has the speed of a much younger player.
“Everything that you hear about him is what you get,” Carr said. “He helps the receiver room raise their level, whether you’re the second guy, third guy or you’re just trying to make the team, he raises the level for others. It’s not only with the way that he practices and works out and the way he takes care of his body and those things, but the way he goes after it mentally. He wants to think like the quarterback. If we throw a ball, we’re always communicating. We’ll say, ‘Hey, if they play it this way, I like it like this.’ Just the way he communicates, it rubs off on those young guys, too.”