Former NFL wide receiver Jordy Nelsosdn sounds ready and willing to play for the Kansas City Chiefs if there’s any interest on their part to bring him in.
The ball, as they say, is apparently in Brett Veach’s court. Former NFL wide receiver Jordy Nelson is apparently willing to come out of his short-lived retirement for the chance to suit up and play for the Kansas City Chiefs—that is, if the team is interested.
According to KMAN, a radio station in Manhattan, Kansas, the former K-State receiver has already discussed the possibility of playing for the Chiefs if the opportunity were to present itself.
Jordy Nelson tells us on @TheGameKMAN that he and his family did discuss playing for the @Chiefs if they were interested.
— John Kurtz (@jlkurtz) June 4, 2019
"That was one option we did possibly look at. They better make that call pretty quick because each day I'm getting more and more out of shape."
Nelson, who just turned 34-years-old, put out word that he was ready to retire in March, but less than three months later, he’s actively talking about playing again for the right team. The Chiefs are apparently such a franchise, likely due to the fact that Nelson would enjoy playing in Andy Reid‘s offense catching passes from the reigning NFL MVP in Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs only have three total players who are over the age of 30 and none of them are in key skill position slots. Instead, they are at punter (Dustin Colquitt), backup quarterback (Chad Henne), and fullback (Anthony Sherman). Nelson would join the team as an elder statesmen and immediate leader, but the team would also need him to be productive as well—not just a figurehead of some sort. In short, the Chiefs already have a coaching staff and don’t necessarily need to bring a guy in for many of those same characteristics.
There is a serious competition playing out for the wide receiver spots not held by Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and Sammy Watkins. Demarcubs Robinson is a likely candidate, but other prospects like Byron Pringle, Cody Thompson, Jamal Custis and more are also strong young contenders. Nelson could be a nice addition for the sake of security, but he could also become a bottleneck that keeps younger talent from developing as hoped.
Nelson, to his credit, has been an ironman in his later years, having missed only two games in the last five seasons. Last year with the Oakland Raiders, Nelson caught 63 of 88 targets, good for 739 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.