Minutes after the Green Bay Packers agreed to a deal with free agent tight end Jimmy Graham, the team released veteran wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who has been with the team since he entered the league in 2008. According to ESPN, cutting the 32-year old wide receiver will give the team more than $10.2 million in cap space.
Nelson finished with just 53 catches for 482 yards and six touchdowns last year, but that's due in large part to the fact that Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone in Week 6 and missed most of the season thereafter. In four of the five previous seasons, Nelson had at least 1,250 receiving yards, including a Pro Bowl year in 2014 when he caught 98 passes for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Packers’ GM Brian Gutekunst released the following statement regarding Jordy Nelson, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:
“We cannot thank Jordy enough for all that he has given the Green Bay Packers and our community for the past 10 years,” Gutekunst said. “He has been an exemplary professional and teammate and greatly contributed to our success. Jordy will always be a member of the Packers family and we look forward to his eventual induction into the Packers Hall of Fame. We wish Jordy, his wife Emily, and the rest of their family all the best.”
The Packers had been interested in free agent wide receivers Allen Robinson and Sammy Watkins but both have since agreed to deals with other teams. Robinson is headed to the NFC North rival Chicago Bears while Watkins is joining the Kansas City Chiefs.
Green Bay failed to make the playoffs last season after Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone in Week 6. The Pack finished 7-9 and will have the 14th overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.