In our continuing series on the Packers All-Quarter Century Team, we’re down to the last few spots!
Earlier today, we posted the poll for the best long snapper of the Packers’ last 25 years. This afternoon, we will go through our final two spots on the roster, looking at the return men.
First up, we’ll examine kickoff returners. The Packers have only returned a few kickoffs for touchdowns this century, but those scores have all been pretty memorable. Let’s vote on the top kick return man of the last
25 years!
Kick Returner Nominees
Allen Rossum (2000-01)
Regular season: 73 attempts, 1,719 yards (23.5 average), 1 TD
Playoffs: 5 attempts, 83 yards (16.6 average)
A cornerback by trade, Rossum made his mark in the NFL as a return specialist, first with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1998 and ‘99. He signed with the Packers for the 2000 season and immediately took over duties on kickoff and punt returns. His one kick return score came against the Colts in 2000, when he took one back 92 yards to extend the Packers’ lead from 19-17 to 26-17. That was the Packers’ only score of the second half and it proved to be the difference in a 26-24 win.
Rossum was sidelined with an injury midway through his second season in Green Bay due to a knee injury, and he signed with Atlanta the following offeason. There he continued his impressive run as a return man for several more seasons, making a Pro Bowl in 2004.
Antonio Chatman (2003-05)
Regular season: 66 attempts, 1,460 yards (22.1 average)
Playoffs: No KR attempts
After a 2002 season that saw rookie wideout Javon Walker handle most of the kickoff return duties, the Packers signed Chatman out of the Arena Football League in the summer of 2003. He would handle kickoffs for two seasons while steadily expanding his role on offense; in fact, he was second on the team in receiving yards in 2005 behind only Donald Driver.
Will Blackmon (2006-09)
Regular season: 66 attempts, 1,393 yards (21.1 average)
Playoffs: No KR attempts
A 2006 4th-round pick, Blackmon ascended to the team’s primary return man role in 2008. He was more dynamic on punts, however, and dealt with injuries that limited him to just three games in 2009 before he moved on in free agency.
Jordy Nelson (2008-17)
Regular season: 59 attempts, 1,339 yards (22.7 average)
Playoffs: 5 attempts, 98 yards (19.6 average)
Nelson’s big breakout came in 2011, but he started to show signs during the 2010 season. That year, he also split time with rookie corner Sam Shields on kickoff returns, a role that he took over in 2009 after Blackmon’s injury. Nelson’s better season was that 2009 campaign, when he averaged just over 25 yards per return.
Randall Cobb (2011-18, 21-22)
Regular season: 74 attempts, 1,915 yards (25.9 average), 1 TD
Playoffs: 12 attempts, 237 yards (19.8 average)
What an introduction Cobb made in his rookie debut. The second-round pick took a kickoff back 108 yards to the house in a big week one victory over the New Orleans Saints. That was his second score of the game (he had found the end zone earlier on a 32-yard reception). Cobb became too valuable on offense to use on returns after his second season, but he averaged over 25 yards per return in both 2011 and 2012.
Keisean Nixon (2022-24)
2x First-Team All-Pro
Regular season: 83 attempts, 2,319 yards (27.9 average), 1 TD
Playoffs: 6 attempts, 192 yards (32.0 average)
After bouncing through a series of unspectacular kickoff return men for the better part of a decade — names like Micah Hyde, Jeff Janis, and Trevor Davis come to mind — Nixon got a chance to return kicks midway through his first season in Green Bay and was a bolt of lightning. He took one kick back 105 yards for a score against the Vikings in a blowout win and somehow managed to lead the league in return attempts and yards that season despite only taking over the job full-time in week 8.
Nixon would lead the league in average return yardage in 2023 as well, and was named first-team All-Pro in both of those two seasons.
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