Packers voted against new rule that brings good and bad news for them

The Green Bay Packers were one of only three teams, alongside the Las Vegas Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers, that voted against the new kickoff rule the NFL approved on Tuesday. And the new format brings good and bad news for the Packers on the field this year. How the rule works Except for […]

Wendell Ferreira — NFL News Writer

Mar 26, 2024 12:27 PM EDT

Keisean Nixon — Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin-USA TODAY NETWORK

How the rule works

Except for the kicker and the returner, players can't move before the ball hits the landing zone — an area from the 20-yard line until the end zone of the receiving team. The ball has to be kicked there. If it goes elsewhere, it's an illegal procedure penalty, and the offense starts with the ball at the 40-yard line. Fair catches are not allowed.

With these changes, the NFL is hopefully reducing the injury risk on kickoff returns, and at the same time incentivizing teams to return more.

The good

For the 2024 version of the Packers specifically, the immediate reaction is the realize that the team has the best kickoff returner in football. Keisean Nixon led the NFL in return yardage and was an All-Pro in the last two seasons.

Keisean Nixon himself went on social media last week to advocate for the new rule — even though the Packers voted against the changes.

lol Go Ahead And Approve That KR Rule And Ima Go Back to Back to Back…. #K9
— K9 (@keiseannixon) March 20, 2024

In 2023, Nixon led the NFL with 782 kickoff return yards. The second place was Xavier Gipson, with 511 yards. And it wasn't just volume stats. Nixon had more yards per return than the next three players with the highest number of return yards.

Keisean Nixon will return more kicks now, and that tends to be a good thing for the Packers.

The bad

Well, the bad news is that the Packers have the best kickoff returner in football, but the rest of the unit is not that good. And the style of return is different. That means a change in the type of ability necessary to be successful, which might not align well with Nixon.

Jayden Reed might be the best returner for the #Packers now. https://t.co/96Dtj7R3aZ
— Wendell Ferreira (@wendellfp) March 26, 2024

Over the last two years, Green Bay has been the best team returning kicks from their own endzone. When the kicks land in what will be the landing zone, the Packers go down to 20th in the league.

Interesting note on kickoff rules:

Since 2022, the Packers led the league in yards per kick return on returns fielded IN the endzone— which are now virtually eradicated.

Meanwhile on kickoffs that landed in the new “landing zone”, the Packers ranked 20th in yards per return.…
— Daire Carragher (@DaireCarragher) March 26, 2024

That happens mostly because the blocking is not as good as Nixon. To get things slightly more concerning, the Packers were 32nd in the NFL in 2023 in special teams penalties. With more returns, the risk of more penalties is higher.

What to take out of it

Obviously, Packers president Mark Murphy didn't vote against the rule thinking about the results for the team specifically this year, because this has the potential to be a long-term decision.

But for the 2024 season, the changes bring opportunities and risks. It's good for Keisean Nixon, who has just signed a three-year extension, to have a bigger impact and solidify himself as the best returner in the NFL — and be more valuable for that.

However, it will drastically modify how special team units will block and operate, and that's a task for coordinator Rich Bisaccia. The results of his job will ultimately determine if the change is positive or not for the Packers this season.