The Packers are paying Keisean Nixon like an elite slot defender

Green Bay paid Nixon like one of the three highest-paid slot defenders in the league this offseason.

As we enter the full swing of draft season, many Green Bay Packers fans are wondering how high of a priority adding competition to the slot defender position is on the team’s list of needs. Based on the money that the franchise just handed cornerback Keisean Nixon, though, it appears that he is going to be the squad’s primary option at the position for the next two seasons.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Nixon’s three-year contract functionally acts as a two-year, $13 million deal that gives the Packers an option to bring him back for $5 million in 2026. In total, his three-year, $18 million contract will pay him an average of $6 million per season.

What does that mean in the context of slot defenders, though? Is that a lot? Is that a little? There’s little available data out there on what slot defenders are paid, as the NFL does not classify the position directly. So while Nixon played the second-most amount of snaps of any slot defender in the league in 2023, his contract details are often still bucketed and compared with fellow cornerbacks — who for the most part play on the perimeter.

That’s why I went on a deep dive into slot defenders and contract terms to shed some light on where Nixon ends up falling in that specific market. I took a look at the 32 most-played slot defenders from the 2023 NFL season and only five of them are signed to veteran contracts that pay out half as much on a per-year basis as Nixon’s $6 million.

Those defenders are Jalen Thompson ($12 million), Taron Johnson ($10.3 million), Kenny Moore II ($10 million), Mike Hilton ($6 million) and Josh Metellus ($4 million). It should be noted here that Thompson is the Arizona Cardinals’ full-time starter at safety who simply kicks down to the slot in nickel sets. He’s a bit of an outlier, as the other defenders are primarily slot corners.

So out of true slot corners on veteran contracts, Nixon’s $6 million per year average is tied for the third most in the league behind only Johnson and Moore, who both also signed contract extensions during the 2024 free agency period. So there you have it: Nixon’s being paid like a top-three player at his position. If you’re wondering if the Packers are really going to push Nixon for that starting slot defender job, that should answer the question.

Sure, maybe some of that money comes from the value that Nixon adds as a return specialist, as he’s recorded back-to-back First-Team All-Pro seasons, but few veteran kick returners in the league are signed to multi-year veteran contracts — let alone for $6 million per season. Remember, only five non-Nixon slot defender veterans are even making half of what Nixon is going to receive on a per-year basis, and one of those players is a full-time starting defender who just moves into the slot in five-defensive back looks. Even if half of that money Nixon is set to earn is due to his return ability, it would still rank him among the highest-paid slot defenders in the league.

The Packers have spoken with their dollars. If you’re a betting man, go ahead and assume that Nixon is going to be an uncontended starter in the slot for at least the next two seasons — as it’s difficult to create much cap space with a release before the 2026 campaign.