The Green Bay Packers want cornerback/kickoff returner Keisean Nixon back on a new deal in 2023, but the 2022 All-Pro is expected to reach free agency and have a “strong market,” per Bill Huber of SI.com.
Nixon, who signed a one-year deal with the Packers last March, played 289 snaps as a slot cornerback last season but made his biggest mark as a kickoff returner. He led the NFL in kickoff returns (35), kickoff return yards (1,009) and kickoff returns over 50 yards (five), and his 105-yard touchdown return against the Vikings was the NFL’s longest of the season.
While the Packers understandably want to keep a 25-year-old player who was named a first-team All-Pro in 2022, it’s possible Nixon wants to expand his role as a slot cornerback and will find more money and more guaranteed dollars from a different team in free agency.
The two-day legal tampering period should give both the Packers and Nixon a good understanding of where the market is at for his services. Once the team and player both have a better idea, a deal to return could fall into place.
The Packers have 14 unrestricted free agents and three restricted free agents to deal with during this period. The team has around $24 million in cap space, but the uncertainty surrounding Aaron Rodgers is providing a hurdle as the Packers attempt to put all the financial puzzle pieces together this offseason.
Huber also reported the Packers want to bring back veteran safety Adrian Amos, but Amos and Nixon are both expected to reach the start of free agency on Wednesday without a new deal.
