Derek Carr has a new weapon at his disposal heading into the 2018 season, and the Oakland Raiders quarterback is stunned his new star receiver even became a free agent.
Carr had high praise for Jordy Nelson in a recent interview with Matt Schneidman of the East Bay Times, noting how quick the 33-year-old still looks despite undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL less than three years ago.
“The thing that you hear about that he can’t run anymore, that’s false,” Carr said. ““I can tell you, he’s one of the fastest skill guys that we have still. He can run. You see that by his route running. If he can win on underneath routes, that means DBs are scared about what he can do over the top. He’s still Jordy Nelson, that’s for sure.”
Nelson struggled in 2017 and clearly appeared to have lost a step, but his lack of production probably had more to do with Aaron Rodgers breaking his collarbone than anything else. Rodgers was clearly upset when the Green Bay Packers let Nelson go, and Carr understands why.
“He’s just a guy that it’s easy to throw to him because he’s open,” Carr said. “There are some guys that are good at running some routes, a guy will be there that’s strong at catching the ball or whatever. He just gets open. He’s very route savvy. He’s very smart.
“I can’t say enough good things. I can’t believe Green Bay let him go, but I’m glad he’s here.”
With Nelson likely playing the No. 2 role behind Amari Cooper in Oakland, he won’t have to beat an opposing team’s top defensive back most weeks. Rodgers has made it quite clear that he believes Nelson still has plenty left in the tank, and Carr obviously feels the same.
