The Green Bay Packers were aggressive out of the gate this offseason, signing former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs to a surprising deal.
However, it was the re-signing of cornerback Keisean Nixon that caught the attention of Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler, who has labeled it as one of the worst signings of the offseason.
The Packers handed Nixon a three-year, $18 million deal, which is puzzling to Fowler.
“I like Nixon’s ability as both a corner and as a returner, but he’s not being paid roughly $6 million per year to just return kicks, and ironing out the details in man coverage remains a must in his game,” Fowler wrote.
Nixon has earned First-Team All-Pro honors in back-to-back campaigns, but that was mainly for his work as a return man rather than what he did defensively.
This past season, he played in every game and registered 80 tackles, a half of a sack, an interception and six passes defended. He also led the NFL in kick return yards with 782.
Nixon, who played his collegiate football at the University of South Carolina, went undrafted but landed with the Oakland Raiders in 2019.
He spent his first three seasons with the Raiders, receiving very limited playing time before joining the Packers in 2022.
Nixon appeared in every contest during his first season in Green Bay, finishing with 23 tackles, a pick and a forced fumble. He led the NFL with 1,009 kick return yards and scored a kick return touchdown.
Obviously, the Packers used Nixon more as a cornerback in 2023 than they did in his debut campaign with the club, and while he was solid in nickel coverage, Fowler clearly thinks that Green Bay could have better used its financial resources elsewhere (or at least re-signed Nixon on a cheaper deal).
We’ll see what Nixon does on his new contract in 2024.
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