According to a report on ESPN radio in Milwaukee, Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon may not play this season without a new contract. Jason Wilde said he “cannot say with any degree of high confidence” that Nixon would play under his current deal. Nixon is currently at mandatory minicamp and is participating in all activities, but could that change by the time training camp rolls around. A potential holdout could have significant ramifications for the Packers this season and beyond.
This is the final year of Nixon’s current deal. He carries a cap hit of just a little more than $7.166 million according to spotrac.com. As of now, he would be considered the Packers top cover corner although most scouts and experts rightfully view him as better suited to be CB2.
Like many players in the Packers secondary, Nixon got off to a strong start last season but saw his performance fall off later in the season when the pass rush wasn’t as prolific as it was early on. Early in the season, Nixon had a career day against the Commanders when he broke up five passes. But late in the season, he often got burned deep at key times and didn’t always make the proper effort to tackle opposing receivers.
According to pro-football-reference.com, opposing quarterbacks completed 64.4 percent of their passes and had a quarterback rating of 105.1 when throwing to receivers covered by Nixon. On the good side, Nixon broke up 17 passes last season, which exceeded his career total from his first six seasons by one. On the downside, he was victimized for six touchdowns, which was also the most in any season of his career.
On the field, the Packers have questions at cornerback. They lack an elite cover corner but did add depth to the position during the offseason since both Nixon and the other incumbent starter, Carrington Valentine, are entering the final year of their current contracts.
GM Brian Gutekunst made several moves to upgrade at cornerback. First, he signed Benjamin St-Juste to a two-year contract as a free agent. St-Juste enjoyed a good season with the Los Angeles Chargers last season and gives the Packers both size and experience at the position.
Then, in the draft, Gutekunst doubled down on cornerbacks. He used his first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft (in the second round) on Brandon Cisse out of South Carolina. Then, in the sixth round, he added Alabama’s Domani Jackson.
Obviously, losing Nixon to a holdout could hurt the Packers in several ways. He remains the team’s best cornerback as of now, so his absence would be felt. The team will also be installing a new defense under Jonathan Gannon this offseason so the more reps Nixon and the rest of the defensive players can get the quicker they’ll pick up the new system.
Nixon also appears to be a popular player in the locker room, and his absence could be disruptive to team chemistry.
If Nixon holds out, Cisse will likely see more reps in training camp which could speed up his development. Of course, if Cisse struggles, that could give Nixon more leverage against the team.
Based on history, it seems unlikely that Gutekunst will give Nixon an extension. Nixon will turn 30 before the start of the 2027 campaign and the Packers only sign a handful of players to new deals when they are over 30. Those players have been elite cornerstones of the team like Aaron Rodgers, David Bakhtiari and Kenny Clark. While Nixon has been an elite return specialist, he is far from an elite cornerback.
Elgton Jenkins found himself in a similar situation last year. He asked the team for assurances that he was in their plans beyond 2025 when he was asked to switch positions from guard to center. He did not get those assurances or a new deal. Jenkins struggled with the position change and then suffered a season-ending injury midway through the season. The Packers released him over this offseason, and he is now a member of the Cleveland Browns.
If Nixon does hold out, this has the potential to hurt the team, but we aren’t there yet. A lot can happen between now and the start of training camp late next month. Either way, this is a situation to keep an eye on over the next several weeks.