At the age of 30, Jordy Nelson is among the best wide receivers in the NFL today.
After the Green Bay Packers rewarded Nelson with a four-year, $39 million contract extension last summer, the eighth-year wideout thanked the organization by tallying 1,519 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in the 2014 season.
With all of his success, though, Nelson remains close to his roots. An ESPN The Magazine feature story about Nelson shows that the wide receiver's success hasn't kept him away from what he knows best besides football — farming.
The feature details how Nelson returns to his family farm in rural Riley, Kansas, population 992, every off-season to work up to 12 hours a day. Obviously, he has reached a level of success – and tax bracket – in which he wouldn't need to farm a day in his life. But it's not what he needs to do. It's what he still enjoys doing.
"Working cattle is my favorite farm duty," Nelson told ESPN. "I probably identify more as a farmer" [than as a football player].
He added that he's "just the farm kid they have always known" in his hometown.
Nelson played starting quarterback at Riley High School in Kansas, before walking on at Kansas State, where he transitioned from QB to wide receiver. At wideout, he excelled to the point that he was tabbed as a second-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Touchdowns and farm duties.
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.