The Green Bay Packers have no shortage of important offseason decisions to make, including cornerback Keisean Nixon’s future.
Nixon is coming off a middling season and is projected to be a $7.1 million cap hit, according to Spotrac. Cutting Nixon would open up an additional $5 million in space and help new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon have the chance to put his own stamp on the unit.
Given his reluctance to help as a kicker return, despite his All-Pro accolades, Nixon’s future is unquestionably up for debate, and he has very little time to convince the Packers that he is worth retaining.
Keisean Nixon Running Out of Time to Convince Packers of 2026 Return
Nixon must get creative if he wants to convince Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst to keep him around for the 2026 season and beyond.
Being open to returning kicks more often would be a start. Nixon was first-team All-Pro due to his kick-returning skills in 2022 and 2023, but has become more focused on being Green Bay’s CB1 in recent years. The 2025 regular season was the first time in his career that he didn’t return any kicks. He did field three attempts in the playoffs; however, it was too little, too late by then.
On defense, Nixon finished the 2025 season with 62 total tackles and a lone interception. The performance level of the inconsistent is highlighted by a 105.2 passer rating when targeted, and giving up an average of 11.4 yards per reception.
Nixon was far from perfect, but he still provides value to the Green Bay roster if he’s willing to add void years to his contract to help with the cap situation. If he’s unwilling to consider this, it seems increasingly likely that the Packers will move in another direction.
The next month will be important for Nixon to convince the Packers that he’s willing to be a team player, whatever that might resemble. Although he shouldn’t be faulted if he doesn’t want to re-work his contract, Green Bay can’t be blamed if that’s a deal-breaker.
Nixon has the opportunity to make the Packers a better team, both on special teams and defense. Thriving in those roles while making a team-first sacrifice will improve his chances of getting a big payday when he hits free agency next offseason, whether that comes courtesy of Green Bay or another suitor.
The Seattle Seahawks’ 29-13 Super Bowl win was a glaring reminder of how far away the Packers are from title contention. If Nixon wants to be a part of how Green Bat plans to close the gap between itself and Seattle, the ball is in his court to prove he can be part of the solution.
Otherwise, it’ll be clear that he’s a problem, leaving the Packers with no choice but to turn the page on Nixon before the offseason ends.
