Rodgers and Nelson Complete Trifecta, Take Home Three ESPYS

On a night filled with stars from their respective sports as well as celebrities flooding the red carpet outside of the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, the ESPYS completed their 25th annual broadcast and handed out a flurry of awards.

Among the recipients was Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, former Packers tight end-turned-Raider Jared Cook and the 2016 NFL leader in touchdown receptions, Jordy Nelson.

Rodgers, who led the NFL in touchdown passes last year and engineered a late-season winning streak to "run the table" and place the Packers in prime playoff position, won the award for "Best NFL Player."

Rodgers completed a career-high 401 passes in 2016, threw for 4,428 yards—third-highest of his career—and just seven interceptions. These numbers are just a small portion of the statistical freak show Rodgers was in 2016. In case you haven't taken note of some of the offseason admiration for Rodgers' play last year, Cheesehead TV's own David Nicholson can help provide an insightful look.

"They said it couldn't be done," Rodgers said when given the award before the show, taking a long, comedic stare into the camera. "I'd like to thank my Twitter followers especially. Ben Stiller for retweeting me, Jason Wilde for setting up the initial Tweet and all of Packer nation and all of our great fans out there who voted for me."

It's the fourth time winning the award for Rodgers (2011, 2012, 2015), beating out Peyton Manning who has received it three times.

"This is an award voted on by the fans, so if you don't appreciate it, vote against me next time."

Rodgers also won the award for "Best Play" along with Cook. They were both commended for their improbable 36-yard completion in the NFC Divisional game last January, helping set up Mason Crosby for the game-winning kick and giving the Packers a berth in the NFC Championship.

"Obviously there's a lot of people that go into making a play like that," Rodgers said on stage. "The offensive line did a great job getting me outside the pocket. Cookie, making a great catch there."

Cook signed a contract with the Oakland Raiders in March, paving the way for the Packers to acquire both Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks.

Last, but not least, Nelson was dubbed as the "Best Comeback Athlete," beating out tennis phenom Roger Federer, Texas Rangers pitcher Matt Bush and the Los Angeles Sparks' Candace Parker.

Nelson also won the AP Comeback Player of the Year award in February at the NFL Honors, along with the same designation from the Pro Football Writers of America and Sporting News. His ESPY on Wednesday night makes it the fourth time Nelson has been acknowledged for his fantastic 2016 campaign since the season ended at the end of January.

After missing all of the 2015 season due to tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in preseason action, Nelson rebounded in 2016 and scored five touchdowns in his first four games returning to action. He ended the season with 14 touchdowns, his most since 2011 and a career-high 152 targets. He was also two catches away from having his most receptions in a single season with 99, but instead finished with 97, one shy of his 98 catches in 2014.

He also put his grit on display after suffering fractured ribs in the first round of the playoffs against the Giants, but still managed to suit up two weeks later for the aforementioned title game against the Falcons.

Nelson, now entering his ninth season, completed the hat trick in awards Wednesday night for the Packers. Both he and Rodgers will be bringing some hardware back to Green Bay as they gear up for a 2017 season in which they expect to reclaim the hardware that truly counts.

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Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].

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Comments (8)

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hodge555's picture

July 13, 2017 at 06:01 am

Congratulations to them all, well deserved.

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Since'61's picture

July 13, 2017 at 06:32 am

Totally meaningless. Would much prefer for them to receive a Lombardi Trophy. Thanks, Since '61

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Handsback's picture

July 13, 2017 at 08:03 am

Agree, this year bring home the title of World Champs! The heck w/ any ESPN awards show.

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calabasa's picture

July 13, 2017 at 10:27 am

Definitely the first thing they would say.

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snowdog's picture

July 13, 2017 at 11:18 am

Yawn ....
Training camp . Pleeeese ...

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egbertsouse's picture

July 13, 2017 at 12:12 pm

This may be crap to us but it isn't meaningless to them. This stuff helps their brand and means big bucks. It's all about brand these days.

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snowdog's picture

July 13, 2017 at 12:40 pm

Recognition by your peers and fans is always the best compliment for a job well done .
Packer Nation

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Savage57's picture

July 13, 2017 at 07:29 pm

ESPN Best NFL Player award > NFL MVP Award.

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