GRAFTON, Wis. — One glance at Jordy Nelson's statistics and it's obvious that the 26-year-old Green Bay Packers wide receiver had a breakout season in 2011.
Nelson's had a team-leading 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns. His totals for his first three NFL seasons: 1,268 yards and six TDs. Nelson finished in the top 10 in the league in every receiving category and was a big reason quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the Most Valuable Player award.
But, for Nelson, now is when he believes his biggest challenge begins.
"I can't let it drop off," Nelson told FOXSportsWisconsin.com during a stop on the Packers Tailgate Tour. "Now that I'm there, it's even harder to stay there. I just have to continue to be consistent. There's things I can work on, getting better off the release, better routes, everything.
"You can continue to get better. That's what I have to do."
Emerging as Rodgers' top target, Nelson is expecting opposing defenses to target and plan around him more now. So, if his numbers next season don't live up to what he did a year ago, Nelson won't necessarily look at it as a step backward.
"As a receiver it can vary because defenses can do certain things to take you out of the game," Nelson said. "That's why I don't put much thought into statistics. I actually look at the grades that EB (wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett) gives me. If I go out and do my job, run good routes, do what I'm supposed to do, that's all I can do. That's how I keep myself where I need to be."
There was plenty of reason to believe that Nelson was ready for a big year. After a relatively uneventful 2010 regular season, Nelson delivered a memorable Super Bowl performance with nine catches, 140 yards and one touchdown.
"That game built confidence in Aaron and I," Nelson said. "I think the way I made plays in that game and helped us win it did a lot. Then I had a great offseason and training camp, so I had that opportunity to grow. It's all about that chemistry and having that connection.
"You have to grow chemistry with your quarterback, and I did that."
Despite having a better statistical season than teammate Greg Jennings and having as many touchdown catches as Carolina's Steve Smith and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald had combined, Nelson was not named to the Pro Bowl. Instead, it was Jennings, Smith and Fitzgerald who made it ahead of Nelson. Detroit's Calvin Johnson was the only NFC wide receiver who statistically had a better season than Nelson in most categories.
"It would have been awesome to go," Nelson said of the Pro Bowl. "I thought I'd end up there. But, usually, it takes one great year and then follow it up with a good year and you're usually in. They always say you go a year late and you go a year too long."
Though Nelson missed out on the Pro Bowl, the Packers' front office recognized early in the season that their 2008 second-round pick was starting to become a significant part of the team and its long-term vision. After a Week 4 win against Denver, Nelson signed a three-year contract extension for $12.5 million.
Even at the time, that new deal didn't make Nelson one of the 20 highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. With Nelson's production increasing even more during the final 12 games of the regular season, it didn't take long to realize that Nelson was already outperforming his contract.
With the Detroit Lions signing Johnson to a $132 million deal this offseason, plus Vincent Jackson signing for $55 million with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and DeSean Jackson re-signing with the Philadelphia Eagles for $51 million, Nelson's salary for the next three seasons makes him seem even more underpaid.
But that's OK with Nelson.
"I don't regret it one bit," Nelson said of signing his extension. "Because, in all honesty, if I can't handle the money that I got, I've got bigger issues than trying to get more. I don't think I ever would have gotten to free agency, anyway, I hope I would not have, and I think the Packers would appreciate that I never wanted to get to that.
"In order to make the ridiculous amount of money, you have to hit free agency, unless you're Calvin Johnson. I'm excited to be here. My family and I are happy to be here and we never wanted to be anywhere else. Hopefully, in two more years, we'll be back up negotiating again."
Growing up on a farm in Kansas, Nelson is about as financially conservative as a professional athlete can be. When he signed his extension, he didn't buy anything new or upgrade any part of his lifestyle.
"If you talk to anyone in my family, they'll tell you that I'm the cheapest one they've ever known — always have been, always will be," Nelson said.
If Nelson has a repeat performance of his production from last season and continues to play as well as he did, he won't be missing many more Pro Bowls and will soon get even more money that he has no intention of ever spending.
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