The kickoff will look different in the NFL in 2023 thanks to a new rule change that’s sparked serious debate. On Tuesday, the league held a vote to determine if touchbacks on kickoffs should move up to the 25-yard-line on a fair catch. It was approved and despite a rule change that many, like Pat McAfee, have bemoaned, a star special teamer didn’t express any concern.
Keisean Nixon burst onto the scene in 2022 with the Green Bay Packers. After three seasons with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, he went to Green Bay with the hopes of making an impact. He certainly did that. He racked up a league-high 1,009 yards on kick returns in 2022, including a 105-yard return for a touchdown.
So if anyone might feel the heat this year, it could be Nixon. But if you ask him? He’s not seating it.
“I ain’t never fair caught anything,” Nixon said, via The Sporting News, when he was asked about the new kickoff rule.
Packers return man Keisean Nixon was asked about the NFL's new fair catch rule. His response?
"I ain't never fair caught anything."
In four seasons, Nixon has 41 kick returns and 11 punt returns. He has 0 career fair catches 😏 @keiseannixon
(h/t @mattschneidman) pic.twitter.com/1NkhXFgGzH
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) May 23, 2023
That’s probably about as perfect a response as you can get to the issue, in Nixon’s eyes. It’s true that he’s never fair caught anything, as The Sporting News pointed out. So, if he feels he’ll be unaffected by it, then he doesn’t need to worry about it.
We’ll see if this opinion is something that’s shared around the league or if the NFL made a move that irritated a lot of people in the league.
