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Jordy Nelson

Poll: Jordy Nelson Vs. Randall Cobb

July 7th, 2014 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

During the past two offseasons, the Packers have witnessed the departure of several of Aaron Rodgers‘ longtime pass-catching weapons. In 2013, Donald Driver retired and Greg Jennings signed a lucrative five-year deal to join the division-rival Vikings, and in 2014, James Jones headed west, inking a three-year pact with the Raiders. Additionally, Jermichael Finley, who is coming off spinal surgery, has reportedly not been cleared by the Packers’ team doctor, making a reunion with the free agent tight end unlikely at this point.

Two more veteran Green Bay receivers are on contracts that expire after the 2014 season, but Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb seem less likely to be playing elsewhere in 2015. The Packers reportedly have interest in locking up both players to contract extensions, ensuring that they’ll remain two of Rodgers’ top targets for years to come.

In Rob Demovsky’s latest mailbag at ESPN.com, he writes that the Packers may be inclined to reach an agreement with Nelson “sooner rather than later,” so that the team can subsequently move on to Cobb. While Demovsky doesn’t cite specific sources in his response to the latest Nelson/Cobb inquiry, he’s plugged into what the Packers’ front office is thinking, and his comments suggest that Nelson may be the club’s first priority.

Nelson established himself as the Packers’ No. 1 receiver in 2013, setting new career highs in receptions (85) and receiving yards (1,314), despite Rodgers missing a chunk of the season. So it makes sense that the team would prioritize a new agreement with him. On the other hand, Cobb, who had 80 receptions of his own in 2012, looked poised to take on a bigger role in the offense last season before he was sidelined with an injury of his own. Cobb doesn’t have the sort of size you’d expect for a prototypical top receiver, but he’s five years younger than Nelson, and his versatility allows the Packers to utilize him in a number of different ways — he has averaged an impressive 15 yards per carry over the last two seasons, for instance.

What do you think? When the Packers approach their wideouts about contract extensions, which player should the team be more intent on keeping? Who’s the No. 1 priority?

NFC North Links: Nelson, Vikings, Bears

June 9th, 2014 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

Many prospective free agents give stock answers when asked about their next contract, expressing a desire to remain with their current teams because that’s what expected of them. But in the view of Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, Jordy Nelson isn’t sticking to the middle of the road when discussing his situation with the Packers, and has expressed a strong preference to remain in Green Bay.

“My wife and I have enjoyed it,” Nelson said Sunday of his time with the Packers. “Let’s see, it’s six years, going on seven years now. We don’t want to go anywhere else. We love it here. We want to be here, and hopefully we can get to that point.”

Our Peter Sowards examined Nelson as an extension candidate last month.

Let’s check in on a few other items from around the NFC North:

  • Speaking of saying all the right things, Vikings rookie Teddy Bridgewater has suggested he’s perfectly content to start his NFL career as a backup. But as Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune writes, history suggests that a first-round quarterback like Bridgewater won’t stay on the bench for long.
  • In his latest mailbag, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune fields readers’ questions on a handful of Bears-related topics, including potential free agent targets still on the market, and whether or not Chicago would be willing to take a chance on recently-waived safety Will Hill.
  • Although Minnesota will never be at the top of most athletes’ destination wish lists, the Vikings and other local teams are proving it’s not the free agent outpost it used to be, writes Michael Rand of the Star Tribune.

NFC North Notes: Super Bowl, Vikings, Nelson

June 8th, 2014 at 1:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Minneapolis was awarded the 2018 Super Bowl, but not before it agreed to a lengthy list of demands from the NFL, according to Mike Kaszuba and Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The 154-page document listing the league’s requirements is available in its entirety at the link, and it includes stipulations ranging from the waiving of government licensing fees to the installation of “NFL-preferred ATMs” inside the Vikings’ new stadium. The Minneapolis host committee claims that it did not agree to every demand issued by the league, but some are angry at the seemingly secret nature of the entire process, especially given that the new stadium will be financed using a good amount of public money.

More items from the NFC North:

  • The naming rights to the aforementioned new Vikings stadium (opening in 2016) are expected to go U.S. Bank, reports Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
  • Matt Cassel, competing with rookie Teddy Bridgewater to be the Vikings’ starting quarterback, is excited about new offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s presence in Minnesota, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “I’m pleasantly surprised, because like I said I think he creates a sense of urgency in practice that we need,” said Cassel. “That’s the way you get better. If you don’t have a sense of urgency in practice, then it’s hard to carry that over on game day. And he coaches everybody. It’s not just certain guys. It’s the first person up, the second person up, the third person up. He’s talking about all the little details, and that’s huge.”
  • Jordy Nelson was recently labeled an extension candidate by PFR’s Peter Sowards, and Nelson, speaking at his charity softball game, sounds like he wants to remain with the Packers (courtesy of Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). “We don’t want to go anywhere else,” said the Green Bay receiver. “We love it here. We want to be here. Hopefully, we can get to that point.”
  • In his latest mailbag, ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky observes it would be too risky for the Packers to let either Nelson or Randall Cobb leave via free agency. Both receivers are entering the final year of their respective contracts.
  • Scott Tolzien is hoping he can stick as the Packers’ third quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers and Matt Flynn, according to Tom Oates of the Wisconsin State Journal.
  • 2013 Bears seventh-rounder Marquess Wilson, in an effort to be Chicago’s third receiver, has bulked up to 207 pounds, after weighing in at 194 pounds at the combine, reports Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune.

NFC Notes: Orakpo, Hosley, Packers, Ponder

June 4th, 2014 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Although he refuses to hold out, Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo still hopes to get a multiyear contract worked out with the team this summer, as Jason Reid of the Washington Post writes. The two sides have discussed the parameters of a deal, but Orakpo deferred to GM Bruce Allen when asked if there had been progress toward an agreement.

“You’ve got to ask Bruce about that,” Orakpo said. “You’ve got to ask them boys (senior Redskins management) about that. Money talks.”

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • The suspensions just keep on coming for the Giants, who announced today that cornerback Jayron Hosley will miss the first four games of the season due to a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. News of Hosley’s suspension comes on the heels of a six-game ban for safety Will Hill, who was subsequently waived by the club. As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets, assuming he doesn’t meet the same fate as Hill and find himself looking for a new team, Hosley’s four-game suspension will cost him about $134K of his $570K salary.
  • Lori Nickel and Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explore whether Packers receivers Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson are both in line for new contract extensions.
  • Addressing for the first time the Vikings‘ decision not to exercise his fifth-year option, Christian Ponder said he wasn’t surprised at all by the decision, as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press details. “It gives me an opportunity,” Ponder said of not having a contract beyond 2014. “It has my options open after the season whether I have leverage to stay here or go somewhere else, whether there’s a better place for me to play.”
  • Vernon Davis, who is reportedly seeking a new contract, tells Maggie Gray on SI Now that he’s keeping a close eye on Jimmy Graham‘s positional grievance, even though Davis considers himself a tight end and not a receiver. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee has the quotes from the 49ers tight end.
  • New Buccaneers offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford isn’t saying much about what his plan will be for this upcoming season, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. One thing Tedford did tip, however, is that he’s a fan of a running back by committee approach.
  • Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post passes along Reed Doughty‘s Instagram farewell message to the Redskins and their fans, suggesting the unrestricted free agent won’t be re-signing with the team.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

North Notes: Reed, Steelers, Nelson, Fairley

June 3rd, 2014 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime Steelers kicker Jeff Reed hasn’t played in a regular-season NFL game since the 2010 season, but the 35-year-old has “every intention” of making a comeback, as he tells R.J. Schaffer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“I looked into the CFL and the Arena League,” Reed said. “It’s just a lot of work for little pay, and it sounds kind of shallow, but when you’ve played for the most elite level of football and you think you can still do it, why wouldn’t you?”

According to Reed, he was contacted by Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt about possibly coming in for a workout, though Tennessee would prefer to find a younger option. Pittsburgh kicker Shaun Suisham had his best all-around season in 2013, so a reunion for Reed and the Steelers appears unlikely, but the free agent kicker hopes he’ll be one of the first options teams turn to if a replacement is needed for health or performance reasons.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two North divisions:

  • According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers have some interest in bringing back Brett Keisel, but the veteran defensive lineman seems unwilling to accept a minimum salary contract at this point. Bouchette adds that he believes Pittsburgh will try to extend Maurkice Pouncey before the regular season gets underway.
  • Although talks haven’t progressed to the point where a new agreement is imminent, Packers wideout Jordy Nelson believes there’s a reasonable chance he’ll sign a contract extension in time for the regular season, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “Everyone knows deals get done closer to training camp,” Nelson said. Our Peter Sowards examined the standout receiver as an extension candidate last month.
  • The Lions‘ decision not to exercise their fifth-year option on Nick Fairley was one of the more of the more surprising outcomes this offseason for 2011’s first-round picks, and the defensive tackle himself was a little caught off guard, suggesting that he thought he played well enough to earn that fifth year (link via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press). “My first year wasn’t too good, but my next two came on,” Fairley said. “But like I said, they didn’t pick it up, so we’ve just got to move on and get ready for this year, and things are going to be good.” For now, Fairley is taking a wait-and-see approach to his potential 2015 free agency.
  • Bo Smolka of CSNBaltimore.com identifies four Ravens veterans whose roster spots may be in jeopardy as the 2014 regular season nears, including quarterback Tyrod Taylor and defensive lineman Terrence Cody.
  • The Ravens have removed linebacker Ryan Jones from their IR with an injury settlement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Jones had received a modest $1K signing bonus when he joined Baltimore last month as an undrafted free agent.

Extension Candidate: Jordy Nelson

May 24th, 2014 at 3:39pm CST by Peter Sowards

Few teams consistently reward high-level play from homegrown talent like the Green Bay Packers. Draft picks that come in and play well usually earn a second contract and play out their primes in Titletown. And, by not waiting until the player’s contract expires, the team can avoid a bidding war with 31 other teams and negotiate exclusively with its talent. Jordy Nelson

This was the scenario for wide receiver Jordy Nelson early in the 2011 season. A second-round pick in 2008, the Kansas State product totaled modest numbers in his first three years — 100 catches, 1286 yards, six touchdowns — before exploding for career highs (68-1,263-15) in the Packers’ 15-1 season. Green Bay signed Nelson to an incredibly team-friendly three-year, $13.35MM extension after four games, locking him up through the 2014 season.

Nelson fought through injuries in 2012, playing in 12 games and catching just 49 balls. But, proving he doesn’t need an elite quarterback to put up elite numbers, Nelson set career bests in receptions (85) and yards (1,314) in 2013, catching passes from Aaron Rodgers, Seneca Wallace, Scott Tolzien and Matt Flynn.

Now, with just one year left on his deal, Nelson is one of the Packers’ prime candidates for a contract extension. Right behind him — or along side — is fellow wideout Randall Cobb, who is still on his rookie contract, but we’ll get to him later.

In February, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport was told that signing Nelson to an extension is an important offseason task for the team.

In March, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that the team’s salary cap is in excellent standing, with plenty of room to extend Nelson and Cobb if and when they choose to do so.

Today, answering tweets from his readers, Demovsky said it would be a surprise if at least one of the two free-agents-to-be didn’t receive his extension before September. He also suggests that Cobb is a more vital re-sign, given his youth and a “budding star” status.

In a Facebook poll, the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Wes Hodkiewicz asked readers which receiver they’d choose to extend. 69 voted Nelson, 41 voted Cobb and 31 couldn’t get off the fence, voting for both.

Nelson’s not exactly old — he’ll turn 29 in a week — but the Packers have recently shown a willingness to walk away from wide receivers who might have seen their best years in the rear view. Case in point, Greg Jennings, whom the Packers let walk after seven incredibly productive seasons. Jennings got his payday in Minnesota, signing a five-year deal with a maximum value of $47.5MM ($18MM guaranteed).

After next season, Nelson will have been in Green Bay seven years, just like Jennings. Both are former second-round picks who were locked up to team-friendly deals in the midst of their rookie contracts.

According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers offered Jennings a contract averaging $8MM to stay in Green Bay once the free agency period started. Jennings chose Minnesota. During the season, with Jennings at his peak, the team reportedly offered $11MM/season, which Jennings turned down, far less than the $15 million AAV he was after.

Just last week, another division rival has helped set the market for receivers, with Chicago’s Brandon Marshall signing a four-year, $40MM extension with $22.5MM guaranteed. Will Nelson’s agent use Marshall’s extension to negotiate his client’s new deal? Will the Packers go the same route with Nelson they did with Jennings if the asking price is too high? Only time will tell, but all of Titletown — and especially its quarterback — will be watching.

 

NFC Extra Points: Saints, Cobb, Nelson, Dockett, Ansah, Harbaugh

May 24th, 2014 at 1:05pm CST by Matt Feminis
  • Three players are vying for the Saints’ No. 2 cornerback job — Champ Bailey, Patrick Robinson and Corey White — and ESPN’s Mike Triplett thinks “it’s pretty close to a three-way tie between that trio for the No. 2 job — or they may all be used in situations that favor their skill sets.” As for Robinson in particular, Triplett says he will get a legitimate shot because otherwise they would have released him to alleviate their salary cap crunch. The 2010 first-rounder hasn’t lived up to expectations, and is entering the final year of his rookie deal counting $2.8MM against the cap.
  • It would be a surprise if the Packers didn’t extend the contract of Randall Cobb or Jordy Nelson (both free agents in 2015) before September, writes ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, who says Cobb is a must re-sign while Nelson is a “little bit trickier” because he’ll be 29 this season.
  • Soon to be 33, Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett has two years remaining on his deal. He will count $8.75MM against the cap in 2014 and is scheduled to count $9.8MM against the cap in 2015, but ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss says after the upcoming season the team will ask him to take a pay cut or likely release him.
  • Aldon Smith‘s future is unknown thanks to his legal issues, and 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh is already aggravated talking about it, writes Aaron Wilson at National Football Post. “I’m not going to get into speculating on what’s going to happen, what could happen, what will happen. There’s nothing really further that I can add to this line of questioning. You can take bamboo shoots and stick ’em under my fingernails and there still wouldn’t be any more I could add further to this discussion.”
  • Also at NFPost, Greg Gabriel spotlights a handful of second-year players in the NFC North poised to break out in 2014, including Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah. Says Gabriel: “As a rookie last year, [Ansah] had 32 total tackles and eight sacks. With a year of learning the game under his belt, I expect those numbers to nearly double. There is no telling how good Ansah can eventually become.”
  • Jackson Jeffcoat, a defensive end out of Texas, garnered a $15k signing bonus from the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent, reports the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta, who has the full list of the team’s signings/bonuses.

NFC Notes: Marshall, Packers, 49ers

May 19th, 2014 at 1:43pm CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings will have the first opportunity to pitch their city as the host of Super Bowl LII in 2018, according to the team’s Twitter account. As NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport points out (via Twitter), that is exactly what the team was hoping for. Minneapolis hasn’t hosted a championship since 1992 and the construction of a new stadium may be enough to bring the game back to Minnesota. The Saints and Colts are also finalists for the bid.

Now, for more notes from around the NFC…

NFC North Notes: Suh, Hester, Packers, Vikes

March 19th, 2014 at 11:23am CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of suggesting earlier this week that there was no rush to extend defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, Lions president Tom Lewand said today on WJR in Detroit that the team expects to meet with Suh’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, next week in Orlando at the NFL owners meetings (Twitter link via Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com). While a Suh extension may not be urgent, it definitely should be on the Lions’ offseason checklist, and it looks like the two sides will take the first steps toward a new deal within the next several days.

Let’s round up a few more links from around the NFC North….

NFC Notes: Nelson, Tuck, Fitzgerald, Mangini

February 20th, 2014 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ve already published posts on the Vikings, Bears, and Cowboys so far today, but even after rounding up a few team-centric updates, there are still several more notes to pass along on NFC teams. Here’s the latest:

  • While there will be plenty of items on the Packers‘ to-do list this offseason, locking up wide receiver Jordy Nelson to an extension is expected to be near the top of that list, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
  • There are plenty of notable names among this year’s free agent class of defensive ends, but Justin Tuck’s agent tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com that he believes his client is the best all-around player of the bunch. “Justin is by far the most complete d-end in the class,” agent Doug Hendrickson said of the longtime Giant. “He can play the 4-3, he can play the 3-4. He obviously had an incredible season last year with every stat he had with the tackles, tackles for loss, the hurries and the sacks. They were up there with the upper-echelon defensive linemen.”
  • Asked about a report last month that suggested the Patriots were mulling a Larry Fitzgerald trade last year, Cardinals GM Steve Keim said of the rumor, “I was looking for someone to fire because [the Patriots] never called me” (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). That initial report suggested that the Pats’ talks didn’t get very far, so it sounds like they were just internal discussions.
  • Former defensive specialist Eric Mangini will be the 49ers’ tight ends coach in 2014, the team confirmed today. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee was the first to report Mangini’s new role.
  • Cornerback figures to be one of the most important positions for the Eagles to address this offseason, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, exploring some potential options for the team.
  • Offensive lineman Gabe Carimi, who was released by the Buccaneers earlier this month, admitted in an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio that he was surprised by the move. However, the early cut gave Carimi to test the market ahead of the free agent period. While he had planned to work out for the Bengals and some other teams, the ex-Bear landed with the Falcons this week (Twitter links via Alex Marvez of FOX Sports).
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