Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

No sign Jordy Nelson won't continue to flourish after comeback season

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Jordy Nelson narrative has changed. No longer is it whether the Green Bay Packers receiver could return to his pre-ACL tear form; the final answer to that came on the eve of the Super Bowl when he was the overwhelming choice for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year.

Now, as the Packers head into the offseason, they will have to ask themselves this: How much longer can Nelson produce like he did during the 2016 season?

At age 31 and coming off reconstructive knee surgery after he blew out his right ACL on Aug. 23, 2015, Nelson responded with a season beyond what most could have imagined. He caught 97 passes -- one shy of his career-high total from 2014 -- for 1,257 yards. Both numbers led the Packers, and he led the entire NFL with 14 touchdown catches.

Nelson may not have been the pre-injury deep threat upon his return but as the season wore on, he showed plenty of speed and the ability to get down the field. (See the 60-yard bomb in Week 15 against the Chicago Bears).

So where does Nelson go from here?

He was more reflective than forward-thinking when he received the award, thanking team trainers Bryan Engel and Nate Weir.

"The last two years [they] have done a lot of work to get me back on the field and keep me on the field," Nelson said at the awards ceremony. "To be able to be out there again this year and play all 16 games was an honor. You realize how much you miss it when you miss the whole season. My wife and my two boys that are back home, thanks for being patient these last two years. I probably spent about three or four months on crutches."

During a frank interview midway through this past season, Nelson acknowledged that he finally understood why some players need a full year back from an ACL injury before they feel like themselves again.

"Until you experience it you probably don't know," Nelson said in a November interview. "Hopefully, we're having that conversation next year."

After what Nelson showed in 2016, it would be a mistake to think he can't continue to put up similar numbers for another season or two.

Still, the Packers must protect themselves for the possibility that Nelson will begin to decline. He'll turn 32 on May 31. That, combined with Randall Cobb's inconsistent play, may force general manager Ted Thompson to address the receiver spot this offseason, perhaps high in the draft. Cobb hasn't matched his production from 2014 -- the 91-catch, 1,287-yard, 12-touchdown season that prompted the Packers to give him a four-year, $40 million deal.

Nelson is under contract through the 2018 season on a deal that makes him the 13th-highest paid receiver in the league based on average per year ($9.7 million). He's scheduled to make $9.255 million in salary and bonuses this coming season and $10.255 million in the final year of his deal. Those salaries are more than tenable, so long as Nelson's play doesn't decline significantly.

Early on in his return, there were those who wondered if Nelson would even see the final two years of his deal. Now, it would be appear to be all but a lock that he's able to fulfill the rest of his contract at a high level.

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