Green Bay Packers veteran cornerback Keisean Nixon passed the team’s conditioning test, making him available to practice. However, right before the team’s first practice, he suffered a hamstring injury and will miss the next few practices.
Before the team arrived to training camp, reports surfaced that Nixon might attempt to do this as a hold-in. Nixon is not happy with his contract and would like a new one. So, while the Packers are confirming the injury, there is plenty of discussion across the media landscape that Nixon is doing his version of a hold-in with the injury.
It will be interesting to see how the team handles this.
Green Bay Packers Cornerback Keisean Nixon Might Be Holding In at Training Camp
GettyPackers cornerback Keisean Nixon.
Nixon has one year left on his deal and is making, on average, $6M per year. He has been a full-time starter for the Packers over the past three seasons, so he is looking for a little more money and some long-term security after playing on a team-friendly deal.
Cordale Flott signed for $15M per year, and Jamel Dean signed for $12.2M despite being over the age of 30. This is more in line with the going rate for cornerbacks. Even if Nixon does not hit those numbers, he is expecting to be much more in that range.
However, the Packers might not want to be the team that pays that.
Nixon was solid in the slot from 2023-2024. However, they moved him outside last year, and he was not as strong. The Packers have Javon Bullard manning the slot now, so his need in there is gone.
They do not want to pay him for his efforts on the outside, and they do not need him in the slot. There is a real chance that they want to play out the season with him on this deal and then let him walk in free agency.
So, there is an understandable stalemate between the two. This could lead to the hamstring injury persisting into the preseason.
Packers Giving Rookie Brandon Cisse a Golden Chance With Nixon Injury
The Packers might not hate that Nixon is missing this time, either. They drafted Brandon Cisse in the second round from South Carolina with the thought that he can become a starter. He has some fine-tuning of his skills, but the talent is there.
So, without Nixon, he can get all of the first-team work without worrying about competition. It will allow him to make mistakes and continue to learn from them.
If Cisse runs with the spot, they can bring back Nixon in place of Carrington Valentine and start Cisse with Nixon. However, the team can also give Cisse this experience and then have him learn from the bench early in the season.
Nixon will return for the regular season and play out his last year. Then, Cisse will be given the job next year after he has had a year to learn the position. It works out just as well for the Packers as it does for Nixon for him to sit.
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