ALAMEDA — Jordy Nelson quickly shot down the notion he’ll get emotional during Friday’s game against the team he played 10 seasons for.
Nelson insists he’s not a trash-talker, so there will be nothing serious in that regard with his former teammates. He has chatted with Aaron Rodgers and seen him a couple times since his release, he said, and Nelson will enjoy seeing his former quarterback and others before and after the game.
Nothing too sentimental, nothing too exciting. It seems Friday night will just be another day at the office for Nelson, even if the only colors he wore before joining the Raiders will be on the Coliseum’s opposite sideline during each team’s third exhibition.
“Emotionally, it won’t be a problem,” Nelson said of the Raiders’ preseason date with the Packers. “It’ll be fun to see those guys, not only the players but the trainers, equipment staff, weight staff, all those guys I was with for 10 years. Those are the guys you miss that you see day-to-day, that you don’t get to talk to as much as you’re used to. 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.”
Nelson established himself as one of the league’s most reliable receivers during his Packers career, catching 550 passes for 7,848 yards and 69 touchdowns. He played in 13 playoff games with Green Bay, won a Super Bowl and became one-half of one of the NFL’s most-feared quarterback-wide receiver duos of the past decade.
Rodgers has made it well-known in the months since Nelson’s release that he wasn’t happy Green Bay let No. 87 go. Nelson moved on quickly, claiming it barely took any time to feel normal in a No. 82 Raiders practice uniform. He misses the people of Green Bay, not only the ones inside the organization but those outside it, since that’s what made the city feel like home for a decade. Yet he’s more than happy out west for the first time in his professional career.
“We’re still in contact with them and are still great friends and will always be in contact with them,” Nelson said. “You always miss people when you leave a place, no matter where you are.”
Nelson sits firmly in the No. 2 wide receiver role for the Raiders behind Amari Cooper. The vet has admitted he’s Cooper’s inferior when it comes to the depth chart, that Cooper’s skills have led the room since he entered the league in 2015. Nelson’s biggest impact among the receivers group, in addition to surprising quarterback Derek Carr with his speed at age 33, has been the knowledge imparted on a relatively young position group.
Cooper is 24, Martavis Bryant 26 and Ryan Switzer 23, among other youngsters. Nelson’s presence, for them, has been invaluable.
“He’s been a real good influence behind the scenes,” Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said. “We’ve been really, really happy with his addition to this team.”
New Raiders wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett, who coached with the Packers for Nelson’s entire tenure, called Nelson “immediately” after Green Bay cut him.
Bennett knew Nelson better than anyone in Oakland when the veteran switched teams, and much of the 33-year-old he sees know is the same one he saw as a receivers coach and offensive coordinator under Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
“His football IQ is off the charts. He can line up anywhere at any moment. He can communicate with anyone, make sure that we’re all seeing it the same way,” Bennett said during training camp. “He’s just a tremendous playmaker for us. As far as his abilities, he’s still making plays in all three spots.”
Nelson came to the Raiders off a down year (53 catches, 482 yards and six touchdowns), which can be attributed to Rodgers playing only seven games to due a broken collarbone. Still, Nelson faced questions about his age, speed and ability to produce in a new offense after such a dip the year before.
Safe to say Nelson has squashed all those doubts, and delivered beyond expectations for the Raiders so far this offseason and preseason. Now that activity will ramp up, so too will Nelson’s production, the Raiders hope. His first test in that acceleration is Friday, against an opponent he knows all too well.
“Same thing I’ve been doing the last two weeks: continue to get in a chemistry with Derek, continue to get in shape, everything that you can slowly build on towards the season,” Nelson said of what’s next in his progression. “It’s going to be here quick. It’s a decently short week and we’ll be into another one next week. Just building that chemistry and that work, to continue to grow through these next couple weeks and throughout the season.”
