For over two decades, the Green Bay Packers struggled to put together a competent special teams unit, specifically on kickoff and punt returns. After Desmond Howard dominated the NFL in 1996 on his way to winning Super Bowl MVP with Green Bay, the Packers could not find anyone who came close to matching Howard’s ability to make big plays that year.
Sure, there were glimpses of some returners being exciting before they fell off or were moved off of special teams in an effort to keep them more healthy. Randall Cobb, for example, returned a kick 108 yards for a touchdown in his first career NFL game. It was the only kick return touchdown of his career (though he did lead the NFL in all-purpose return yards in his second season).
Perhaps the lowest of the low points, though, was when Amari Rodgers was returning kicks and punts for Green Bay in 2022. In 10 games, he averaged just 7.0 yards per punt return and 20.3 yards per kick return (which was actually an improvement from his 18.1 yards per kick return in 2021). Worst of all, he fumbled five times. After 10 games, the Packers had finally seen enough and released him.
In need of a new return man who could bring the spark to the special teams unit that it desperately need, special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia turned to cornerback Keisean Nixon.
Green Bay Packers Cornerback Keisean Nixon Has Been Named First Team All-Pro in Back-to-Back Seasons
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
After Rodgers lost his job as the team’s returner, Nixon started returning kicks with more production than had been seen in Green Bay for over two decades. In 2022, he led the NFL with 1,009 kick return yards, which included a 105-yard return for a touchdown.
Last season, Nixon once again led the NFL with 782 kick return yards and averaged a league-best 26.1 yards per kick return. Nixon also was the team’s starting nickel back last season, and had an interception to go with six pass deflections and 80 tackles.
This past offseason, Nixon signed a three-year deal worth $18 million to stay with Green Bay.
This offseason, the NFL agreed to new rules regarding kick returns. These rules are going to force kicking teams to actually allow returners to catch and run with the ball. For a player like Nixon, these changes mean he could be putting up bigger numbers than he already was.
Recently, former Chicago Bears return specialist Devin Hester was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This unprecedented election has many wondering if more kick return specialists could end up in Canton when their careers are over.
Kay Adams, host of Up and Adams, asked Nixon if he thought the new rules would help him get into the Hall of Fame someday. He had a pretty honest answer:
“Truthfully, honestly, no. Because honestly the kick return stuff is just something I can do naturally. I’ve always been a cornerback, so me doing the kick return is just an added boost that I bring to my team. Because I never did it when I was with the Raiders.”
So, even though he is an All-Pro returner, he thinks of himself as a cornerback first.
No wonder the Packers wanted to keep him around.
