SLATE: Jordy Nelson hangs up the cleats

It’s a slow Monday here at the HQ. But big news happened yesterday in the wintry reaches of Wisconsin, as former Kansas State Wildcats star receiver Jordy Nelson signed a one-day contract with Green Bay Packers in order to retire as a Packer.

Nelson caught 206 passes as a Wildcat, 20 of them for touchdowns, and was one of the only bright spots during those three years we otherwise don’t talk about. As a senior, he was a consensus All-American alongside Texas Tech Red Raiders great Michael Crabtree, then went to the Packers with the 36th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

All he did once he got there was become the favorite target of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In ten NFL seasons, Nelson caught 613 passes, 72 of them for touchdowns, and amassed 8,587 yards in the process. He was let go by the Packers after the 2017 season, and played reasonably well in Oakland Raiders last season before being released in March.

We’re obviously sad to see Nelson retire, and it’s super weird that he’s bowing out before Darren Sproles. But injuries have taken their toll on him; he missed the entire 2015 season with a torn ACL, and his production slipped during the rest of his stay in the frozen tundra. Nevertheless, he’ll almost certainly find himself enshrined in the Packers Hall of Fame at some point, and you can probably assume we’ll be seeing a lot more of him around Bill Snyder Family Stadium since he still lives in Riley.

Just a couple of other items: at the Mercury, Ryan Black delves into the differences between Chris Kleiman and Les Miles, and BracketCat checked in with #27 yesterday, defensive back Cameron Key.