GREEN BAY, Wis. — If you had a nickel for every time the Green Bay Packers signed a free-agent kick returner who was drafted in the second round by the Kansas City Chiefs, you'd have two nickels.
That's not a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
The hope is that the latter signing will prove to be a much better investment than the former. Last spring, the Packers signed Mecole Hardman, a former No. 56 overall pick of the Chiefs. He didn't earn a spot on the 53-man roster and was released at the end of training camp, only to be signed back to the practice squad and released for a second time three weeks into the regular season.
Enter Skyy Moore, drafted No. 54 overall by the Chiefs three years after Hardman.
Barring something unforeseen happening between now and the end of the preseason this summer, the Packers may be dedicating a roster spot exclusively to a return man. That's the best route considering the carousel of candidates they cycled through last season -- unsurprisingly, their return game suffered as a result.
Skyy Moore tosses the ball to an official in a Sept. 28 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Five different players returned a kickoff for the Packers in 2025: Savion Williams, Bo Melton, Emanuel Wilson, Nate Hobbs, and Jakobie Keeney-James. Four different players returned punts: Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, Keisean Nixon, and Jayden Reed. Nixon, the team's top cornerback, was an All-Pro return man in 2022 and led the league in return yardage in back-to-back seasons, but has indicated that he doesn't want to return kicks anymore.
If the Packers have it their way, Moore and Moore alone will be handling those duties in 2026. General manager Brian Gutekunst believes that Moore did an outstanding job returning kicks and punts last year, which marked his first time doing so in a full-time capacity.
Sounds like Skyy Moore has a good shot to be the Packers’ kick and punt returner pic.twitter.com/73iQ6U37PZ
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) March 30, 2026
"Certainly, last year was one of the first years he really had an expanded role as a returner," said general manager Brian Gutekunst Monday at the NFL Annual Meetings in Phoenix, Arizona.
"He was one of the better guys that did both in the league last year. As we went through that, that opportunity -- that was something last year with our special teams that we needed to kind of add to. I'm excited to get him in and see what he can do for us."
Moore spent his first three seasons with Patrick Mahomes and co. in Kansas City, winning multiple Super Bowls before being traded to the San Francisco 49ers last summer for a 2027 sixth-round selection.
Moore had only returned 14 punts and five kickoffs during his time with the Chiefs, but that number saw a significant uptick in San Francisco. Last season, Moore brought back 25 punts for 291 yards, averaging 11.6 yards per return—that would've led Green Bay's return unit. He also brought back 33 kickoffs for 907 yards at an average of 275 yards per return—both of those numbers would, once again, lead Green Bay.
While the Packers may not have much interest in deploying Moore on offense, that's not something you can fully rule out when it comes to head coach Matt LaFleur. The gadget portion of his playbook that includes jet sweeps and end-arounds is essentially already occupied by Williams, but Moore could see his fair share of opportunities, too. He caught 43 passes with the Chiefs for 494 yards and a touchdown, as well as ran six times for an additional 47 yards.
Skyy Moore returns a punt in a Nov. 30 game against the Cleveland Browns. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
New special teams coordinator Cam Achord was hired as the successor to Rich Bisaccia, who surprisingly stepped down from his role to pursue the same opportunity at Clemson. It may have been Achord who pushed for the Packers to pursue Moore, considering he's had a designated return man at every stop throughout his coaching career.
Whether it was with the New England Patriots or the New York Giants, Achord has maximized whoever that player was. With the Patriots, it was Marcus Jones, and with the Giants, it was Gunner Olszewski and Deonte Banks.
Moore has major shoes to fill in that regard, but it costs the Packers virtually nothing to see if he can. He signed a one-year deal worth $2.5 million, and his base salary falls just north of $1.2 million.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 12th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com