Keisean Nixon must be an offseason priority for underwhelming Packers
It wasn't the season the Green Bay Packers wanted. That much is certain. Another year of Aaron Rodgers under center has come and gone and not only did the Packers miss the playoffs, but they secured just their second losing season since 2010-11 when they won the Super Bowl.
It's going to be another offseason of uncertainty surrounding the Packers — specifically regarding the future status of their 39-year-old gunslinger — but one thing is clear in Green Bay: Keisean Nixon needs to be given a new deal and brought back long-term.
The Packers signed Nixon last offseason and he played a small role on the defense for about half of the 2022 season. He was signed primarily to be a defensive backup and special teams player but was thrust into Green Bay's kick-returner role when former third-round pick Amari Rodgers proved to be both ineffective if not straight-up detrimental to the team.
Nixon snagged his first kickoff of the season against the New York Jets and returned it for 32 yards. A few weeks later he had put together four games in a row with over 100 kick return yards accumulated, and he finished this season as the only kick returner to notch over 1,000 yards returning.
This, despite the fact that he really only returned kicks for half a season.
Special teams have long been a sore spot in Green Bay, and though the 2022 season was a disappointment, there were at least a few bright spots in that department. First was special teams coach Rich Bisaccia, who lived up to the hype as a special teams guru and really put his unit on the right path for much of the season.
The second revelation was, of course, Nixon, who the Packers need in a big way heading into the future, so he can do things like this:
Nixon is set to be a free agent at the start of the new league calendar, but Green Bay can't allow him to leave town.
More must-reads: