Tuesday afternoon is providing developments on the slot cornerback market. Minutes after Kenny Moore‘s Colts deal came to pass, the Packers have an agreement in place to retain their inside cover man.
Keisean Nixon is staying in Green Bay on a three-year deal worth $18M, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The cornerback/return man’s contract can max out at $19.2M.
The Packers came into the 2022 season with a play to move Rasul Douglas to the slot to accommodate Eric Stokes. Nixon emerged midway through that season as a regular, following Stokes’ season-ending injury, and came into last year solidified in the slot role. With Stokes unable to shake off injuries, the Packers will commit to another of Jaire Alexander‘s CB sidekicks.
Nixon gives the Packers an interesting weapon, as he plays regularly on defense and resides as one of the NFL’s best return men. The former UDFA has scored back-to-back first-team All-Pro nods for return work. Contributing as a punt returner, Nixon also led the NFL in kick-return yardage in 2022 and 2023, notching a return TD two seasons ago. While kick-return work is not nearly as prominent as it once was due to NFL rule changes designed to minimize that particular play, Nixon has been the game’s best recently.
The versatile performer’s coverage numbers were better in 2022, but the ex-Raider spent more time on defense last season. The Packers gave Nixon 809 snaps in 2023 — up nearly 600 from his 2022 cameo. Pro Football Focus ranked him just outside the top 80 among corners. However, Green Bay has a dual-threat player locked down through 2026, getting him signed at a reasonable rate months after sending Douglas’ $7M-per-year deal to Buffalo.
More must-reads: