Pro Bowl play from Keisean Nixon reopens wounds for Packers fans after what unfolded against the Bears in the playoffs
That was too soon for Packers fans.
The Green Bay Packers didn’t invest much in the cornerback position for the 2025 season, as general manager Brian Gutekunst showed trust in the guys he had, especially Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine. The only addition was Nate Hobbs, who didn’t perform at the expected level either.
While the lack of high-end play was passable in the regular season, it became harder to protect the group in the playoffs — one of the main reasons the team collapsed in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears.
Pro Bowl play triggers Packers fans
During the Pro Bowl on Tuesday night, Nixon had a play that was impossible not to compare with what happened in the postseason. It was just a meaningless flag football game now, but Nixon didn’t run to “tackle” AFC quarterback Joe Burrow.
To a certain extent, something similar happened in the playoffs. Nixon avoided contact with Bears running back D’Andre Swift near the goal line, and Chicago easily scored — the Bears had 25 fourth-quarter points to get the win over Green Bay.
Future in Green Bay
Despite the ups and downs of the season and the bad performance in the playoffs, Nixon is still expected to be in the mix next season. The cornerback and kick returner enters the last year of his deal and is slated to make $5 million — a reasonable price tag for a player who can realistically be a second or third corner on the depth chart and deliver significant contributions on special teams. He made the Pro Bowl as an alternate, and the NFC beat the AFC, 66-52.
The problem is what the Packers expected from Nixon, and it was always hard to foresee him playing at a CB1 level, even if the front office saw cornerback as a weak-link system.
Now under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, cornerbacks tend to be more valuable, and the Packers will need to find new answers.
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