The Green Bay Packers had a major cornerback problem to address this offseason. Letting Nate Hobbs go was a step in the right direction, but they also needed to shake things up, add more talent, and introduce some competition to the room.
Carrington Valentine might be the odd man out, with rookie Brandon Cisse and the recently signed Benjamin St-Juste. However, as much as it seemed that Keisean Nixon was a lock to be their CB1, that may no longer be the case.
According to Packers insider Jason Wilde, the All-Pro kick returner might not take the field unless he gets a new contract. And given his struggles on defense and his financial situation, everything is up in the air right now.
Keisean Nixon might force his way out of Green Bay
"I cannot say that (he will be in training camp without a new deal) with any degree of eye confidence. I'm still intrigued by that scenario, and still skeptical," said Wilde.
The Packers gave Nixon a three-year, $18 million deal in 2024. He's entering the final year of his contract, and his $6 million salary was much easier to justify once he was out there playing on special teams.
He's only had one year as a starting cornerback, and he was reluctant to return kicks last season. With special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia no longer in the building and the Packers signing Skyy Moore for those duties, he may simply not have enough value.
While Valentine got most of the criticism, Nixon wasn't much better in coverage. He allowed 56 receptions on 87 targets (64.4 percent) for 651 receiving yards and six touchdowns, the second-most on the team. He also gave up 160 yards after the catch.
Opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 105.2 when targeting him. His 13 pass breakups were the second most at the position, but he gave up 11.6 yards per reception, 7.5 yards per target, and has never had more than one interception in a single season.
Per Over The Cap, the Packers still have $21.6 million in available cap space, so they could still figure out a way to keep him around, but they will most likely want to preserve more cash to have some wiggle room for in-season moves.
Also, cutting him would free up $5 million in cap space, so if Cisse proves to be ahead of schedule and Valentine looks better in training camp or St-Juste looks like a starting-caliber guy and Nixon keeps pushing for a new deal, he might end up being the odd man out.
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