Jordy Nelson announced his retirement from the game of football last month, and this week, he said he is grateful that he was able to leave the NFL with his health in tact.
“That was a trigger, right there,” Nelson told Tim Layden of NBC Sports. “I was like, all right, that confirms it. I’m walking out healthy. I’m not waiting until some doctor tells me, ‘Man, you look like you’re 60 years old, you need two knee replacements, hip surgery.’ I’d rather go out a year too early than a year too late.”
While Nelson wasn't too worried about any potential issues with his brain, as he only suffered one concussion throughout his 11-year NFL career, he just felt like it was time to move forward with his life.
“You can’t play the game at this level with one foot in, and one foot out,” Nelson said. “You need to be all in. I couldn’t honestly say I was going to be all in, and that was our answer.”
The 34-year-old spent the 2018 campaign with the Oakland Raiders, playing in 15 games and catching 63 passes for 739 yards and three touchdowns.
But Nelson is most known for his 10-year tenure with the Green Bay Packers, where he posted four 1,000-yard seasons and made a Pro Bowl in 2014 courtesy of hauling in 98 receptions for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He also led the league with 14 receiving scores in 2016, one year after missing the entire 2015 campaign with a torn ACL.
Nelson signed a one-day contract with the Packers to retire as a member of the organization on Aug. 4.
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