The Green Bay Packers have a nice group of players on the roster and they are looking to make a jump in 2025.
They made moves in both free agency and the NFL draft to upgrade certain areas, and receiver was one of them. They signed Mecole Hardman before adding Matthew Golden and Savion Williams in the draft. Green Bay also added undrafted free agents, giving them flexibility.
Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia spoke with members of the media on Monday and revealed that Keisean Nixon will "always" be in the mix to be their returner, but they do have more options with rookie receivers and the addition of Hardman.
Rich Bisaccia says Keisean Nixon will "always" be in the mix at returner, but they've got options with the rookie receivers and Mecole Hardman.
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) May 12, 2025
Keisean Nixon Isn’t a Lock To Be the Starting Returner
Nixon has had some great moments being the Packers' returner. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, he was a two-time First-Team All-Pro returner and led the league in return yards both seasons. Last season was when things took a turn, as he fumbled the ball four times.
During the offseason, Nixon then expressed that he'd like to move away from returning kicks. It does sound like Green Bay has made these additions with that in mind, but Bisaccia's comments also signal Nixon will hear his name called if things go south with any of the new guys,
Hardman has compiled 819 punt return yards and 1,073 kickoff return yards in his NFL career. As for Golden, he notched 722 kick return yards in his career between Houston and Texas. The same goes for Williams, who did it in his freshman season at TCU, totaling 312 kick return yards.
OTAs and training camp will allow the Packers to have a competition between these guys and see who is the best man. Nothing should be handed to anyone, so the idea of an open battle sounds like the right path to take.
However, even if someone else gets the nod, Nixon could still be called upon given the trust he has from the coaches.