During the course this past offseason, the Oakland Raiders made a slew of moves in hopes of pushing them forward toward the playoffs and even further than that. One of those key pieces was former Pro Bowl wide receiver Jordy Nelson on a two-year, $14.2 million deal.
However, Nelson hasn't quite performed up to the level that was anticipated, but that hasn't deterred head coach Jon Gruden from voicing that he believes the veteran wideout will be back next season, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.
“If you watch Jordy play carefully the last four weeks when he’s been healthy, you see what he’s capable of doing,” Gruden said. “And I think as we continue to improve this football team around some of the core guys that are here, I think you can even see better and better days ahead. So yeah, he’ll be back.”
Although it hasn't been a highly productive campaign, Nelson has proven at this stage of his career that he can be a dependable asset in the passing game with 54 receptions for 661 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He has proven that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank to be a reliable target the team can lean on.
There could be much upheaval ahead in the upcoming offseason, but it appears that Nelson is still a part of the plans for the 2019 campaign. Nelson has also already expressed his desire to come back for next season.
Ultimately, what these comments signify is that he will be with the Raiders for at least another year.