The stars were in a rare alignment for the Green Bay Packers to be major players on the first day of the “legal tampering” period. Brian Gutekunst has been a busy man between releasing fan favorites David Bakhtiari and Aaron Jones and the surprising big-name acquisitions of Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney.
But Gutekunst saved his biggest move for Tuesday, locking up the most important position on the roster: kick returner, obviously.
After a pair of one-year deals, each ending with a first-team All-Pro selection at kick returner, the Packers re-signed Keisean Nixon to a three-year, $18 million contract. While Nixon has made his name primarily as a returner, the contract highlights that Nixon will continue to have a role on defense.
What does Nixon’s return signal for special teams and defense?
In a world where the NFL is trying to end the concept of the kickoff for “player safety” (while continuing to make other moves that prioritize making money over player safety), Nixon refuses to comply.
After his first All-Pro season in 2022, Nixon continued dominating kick returns by taking 30 of them for 782 yards. That’s over 200 more yards than the next player on the list, the New York Jets’ Xavier Gipson (511). Nixon led the league in return attempts, tied for fourth in average yards (26.1), and had the 10th-longest run of the season (51 yards). Nixon also had 95 yards on 14 punt returns.
While many players are content to make fair catches and take easy yards, Nixon threatened to take the ball to the house on every attempt. That didn’t always work out for the Packers. Nixon had plenty of runs called back for teammates’ penalties, ultimately costing them field position. But Nixon always showed the aggressive attitude you’d want from one of Rich Bisaccia’s favored teamers.
Nixon saw his role on defense grow in 2023, becoming the team’s primary slot corner. There, his performance was admittedly more mixed. He had one interception (of Patrick Mahomes, no less), 80 total tackles, three TFL, and one QB hit. Nixon’s passer rating was 96.6, not amazing but not awful compared to other slot corners in the league (14th of 25 of qualifying players).
Nixon played more slot snaps than any other defender in the league. Opponents targeted him the second most, and he gave up the second-most yards. That’s not ideal, but he played injured for Joe Barry and needed surgery after the season. Nixon had ups and downs, but there were enough good moments to build on.
Having a promising defensive coordinator with a background in defensive backs should help.
The Packers aren’t paying all this money just for kick returns, especially with the league trying to eliminate them. They expect Nixon to continue to have a role on defense.
Slot corner is arguably a need, even with Nixon back. With the rest of the league drafting smaller receivers and allowing them to dole out massive damage in the middle of the field, a modern defense needs shifty corners that can match their speed and twist. I’ve previously explored this concept, although it remains to be seen if the Packers feel the same way.
This year’s draft class is deep at cornerback, and many promising prospects are smaller, slot-type guys. If Green Bay wants to set up Jeff Hafley for success, they must dip into the position. But we won’t know how they feel about the slot in general until late April.
The Packers could believe Nixon is all they need in the slot, and it’s worth letting him start there. But I believe that Green Bay should take a slot corner in the draft for a long-term, dedicated presence there. Still, I’m happy to see what Nixon can do. Regardless, Nixon provides valuable depth to an important position.
Nixon’s role on defense will determine how the Packers also use him on special teams. He’ll be the kick returner — Nixon had two All-Pro seasons there and has the ideal attitude for the role. Jayden Reed was the primary punt returner, but he evolved into a focal point of the offense. They may not want to risk their ascending receiver there.
So, Nixon could end up with punt and kick returns. Bringing in a rookie to compete at slot corner or at least provide depth might allow the team to feel comfortable with Nixon doubling down as a returner.
We even saw Nixon on offense last season, something I’d love to see more often. Nixon has proven he can and will do anything for the team. “Man, this s— mean everything to me, man,” Nixon said following the season-ending loss to the San Francisco 49ers. “The moment I signed my contract and put that G on my helmet, man, it mean everything. They pour everything into me in this organization and I pour everything back into them, and two All-Pros later.”
Nixon got his shot in Green Bay and has done anything he can for the team. How big his role on defense will be remains to be seen, but Nixon is here for whatever the Packers need.
