In the aftermath of the Green Bay Packers playoff loss to the Eagles last January, cornerback Keisean Nixon declared he no longer wanted to return kicks for the Pack so he could concentrate on being the team’s number one cornerback. But this week at OTAs, the two-time All Pro return specialist wisely reconsidered his earlier stance and offered to resume returning kicks in 2025.
“I was kind of frustrated when the season was over,” Nixon admitted this week at OTAs. “But it’s valuable, always, especially when it comes to me, being who I am when doing it. So, of course, I’m open to it. I’m always going to do what the team needs.”
Nixon had good reason to be frustrated after the playoff loss. His fumble on the opening kickoff led to the Eagles first score of the game and put the Packers behind early 7-0. Philadelphia was awarded possession even though replays appeared to show Nixon recovering the football.
But Nixon is an excellent return specialist. In 2022, he led the NFL with 1,009 yards on kick returns and scored a 105-yard touchdown. One year later, he averaged 26.1 yards per runback and again led the league in kick return yardage. He was named All-Pro after both seasons.
With the new kickoff rules the NFL introduced, Nixon’s impact was reduced last season. He returned only 18 kicks after running back 30 in 2023. He still averaged a healthy 29.3 yards per runback when he did get his hands on the football. That happened more often later in the season when the weather got colder, and it was harder to kick the ball out of the end zone.
Nixon explained his comment and his change of heart. “Knowing who I am as a person, if the game’s on the line, I’m going to want the ball anyways,” Nixon told reporters. “That’s a comment I probably could’ve kept to myself, for sure, but it is what it is. I meant what I said, but I’m also a team player. And if the coach and the team need me to do something, I’m going to do it for sure.”
Meanwhile, Nixon took on more responsibility as a corner. Prior to 2024, he lined up mostly in the slot. But, when Jaire Alexander was lost to injury, Nixon moved to the boundary and saw more action on defense. In fact, he played 94 percent of the team’s defensive snaps last season, by far the highest percentage of defensive snaps in his NFL career.
Nixon also played well at cornerback. According to pro-football-reference.com, opposing quarterbacks completed 57.5 percent of their passes when throwing to receivers covered by Nixon last season and had a quarterback rating of just 78.9.
The previous season, the completion percentage for opposing quarterbacks was 77.8 and the quarterback rating was 104.8.
Nixon’s role on defense may depend on what happens with Alexander. The team’s current top cover corner remains in limbo as the Packers seek to restructure his contract after he missed 20 of the last 34 regular season games due to assorted injuries.
If Alexander returns and stays healthy, he will be one of the starting boundary corners. Nixon may start at the other boundary or take over again in the slot. Knowing the way the Packers approach things, he’ll see action at both positions over the course of any given game, depending on the situation.
The Packers did sign veteran return specialist/wide receiver Mecole Hardman as a free agent over the offseason. The former Chief would provide the Packers with another weapon as a return specialist, but Nixon would be eliminating something he does very well from his game if he gave up returning kicks.
Last month, special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia addressed the media and said he still expected Nixon to “be in the mix” as a return specialist despite his comments after the season ended. Now, it looks like Bisaccia was correct.
Keeping Nixon on kick returns gives the Packers another elite weapon that can make a big difference at a crucial moment. He is fast, fearless and always a threat to make a game breaking play when he gets his hands on the football. The Packers are better off with Nixon still returning kicks than they would be if he only played cornerback.