Jordy Nelson Rumored to Schedule Visits with Raiders, Seahawks and Saints

Free-agent wide receiver Jordy Nelson reportedly will visit the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday and has scheduled visits with the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints as well, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

On Tuesday, the Green Bay Packers announced they cut Nelson, 32, after he spent the first nine years of his career with the team.                             

Nelson had his worst season since his sophomore campaign in 2009, catching just 53 passes for 482 yards and six touchdowns. He earned a grade of 74.9 from Pro Football Focus, just 50th among wide receivers. 

The injury to quarterback Aaron Rodgers hurt his production. But Nelson's running mate in Green Bay, Davante Adams, dramatically outproduced him last season as well (74 catches for 885 yards and 10 touchdowns).

Adams is in line to take over the top receiving role, and red-zone threat Jimmy Graham is set to sign in free agency, per Schefter. Also considering Nelson's battle with injuries in recent years and his significant cap hit for 2018 ($12.5 million), his release perhaps isn't as surprising as initially considered.

Nelson still offers an attractive skill set for teams seeking an upgrade at wide receiver, however. He's capable of stretching the field and has always been a playmaker in the red zone, averaging 11.4 touchdowns per season between 2011-16 (he missed the entire 2015 season due to a torn ACL).

Rodgers will certainly miss him: 

Nelson should be a hot commodity in free agency, and the Raiders, Seahawks and Saints could all use a playmaker of his caliber. Oakland could bring him in to replace Michael Crabtree, with Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporting the team could release Crabtree—and free up around $7 million in cap space—if it signs Nelson.

The duo of Nelson and Amari Cooper would give Derek Carr a dangerous duo out wide.

Seattle, meanwhile, needs another red-zone threat with Graham gone. Nelson and Doug Baldwin would offer Russell Wilson an excellent pair of wideouts with complementary skill sets.

And the Saints could equally use an upgrade in the red zone and another weapon for Drew Brees to go along with Michael Thomas and budding superstar Alvin Kamara in the passing game, especially after Willie Snead IV was a non-factor in 2017.