GREEN BAY – Keisean Nixon was neither a starting NFL cornerback nor an All-Pro kick returner when he made the cross-country trip to play for the Packers in 2022.
And he wasn't particularly thrilled about any of it.
Nixon had confidence in his abilities but was left searching for a new opportunity after not being tendered a contract as an exclusive-rights free agent in Las Vegas.
So, the Compton, Calif., native chose to follow special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia to Green Bay after Bisaccia didn't get the Raiders' head-coaching job despite leading them to the playoffs on an interim basis.
The move from the West Coast to the Midwest was a sweeping change for Nixon, and he wore the effects on his face to the point one of his new Packers teammates asked the young corner what was going on.
That teammate? Four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whom Nixon is now preparing to defend when the Packers travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers on Sunday.
"I did not wanna come here," said Nixon recalling his first season with the Packers on Wednesday. "I hated it here when I first got here and I used to just be kind of miserable, just wasn't comfortable, just trying to get to know guys and stuff like that and Aaron used to always be like, 'Why you so mad and angry?'"
Rodgers had a point. Nixon was angry…and talented, too.
The future Pro Football Hall of Famer saw it in training camp and provided a series of small affirmations that slowly thawed the icy exterior of the player and got more to the core of the man.
When Nixon was initially relegated mainly to coverage units on special teams during his freshman season with the Packers, Rodgers kept reminding him his time would come on defense.
When Nixon received his first big break as a kick returner, Rodgers encouraged him to play fast and challenged the young cornerback to take the ball out of the end zone if he thought he could break one.
Rodgers also had the moxie to do something few have had the courage to do. He hugged Nixon. A lot.
"(He) made me give him a hug and then it was like a thing," Nixon said.
The practice started before the Packers went to London to play the New York Giants. Amidst the practice-field hugs, Nixon also made it his mission to pick off his legendary QB.
If successful, Nixon asked Rodgers to sign a jersey for him. It finally happened during the final month of what turned out to be Rodgers' 15th and final year as the Packers' starting quarterback. A man of his word, Rodgers gave Nixon a jersey.
The Packers went 8-9, missed the playoffs and Rodgers was traded that offseason to the New York Jets, where he spent two seasons before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers in June.
However, that 2022 season was a turning point in Nixon's career. He not only carved out a role in the defensive sub-packages but also earned first-team All-Pro after leading the NFL with 1,009 yards on kickoffs and one return for a touchdown.
On Sunday, Nixon will run through the visiting tunnel at Acrisure Stadium as one of Green Bay's starting perimeter corners. He's currently tied for second in the NFL with 10 pass breakups. None of it comes as a surprise to Rodgers.
"When Kei first came, he carried himself like a No. 1 corner," said Rodgers in a conference call with Green Bay media on Thursday.
"I always loved his confidence and just everything he was about. He was a little bit angry sometimes, so I'd just always try to find him, give him a big ol' hug and tell him I loved him. He was one of my favorite guys over the years, for sure. I'm happy for Kei, the way he's playing."
There are 14 remaining Packers players from Rodgers' final season in Green Bay, including starting quarterback Jordan Love. Rodgers told reporters Thursday he's hoping to do a jersey swap with his heir apparent after Sunday's game.
Another man with ownership of a game-worn Rodgers jersey is Packers defensive end Micah Parsons, who grew up idolizing Rodgers prior to playing the 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback during his second season in Dallas in 2022.
The Packers won a 31-28 thriller in overtime at Lambeau, but Rodgers softened the blow of defeat for Parsons somewhat when he asked to trade jerseys with the then-reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after the game.
"He was like, 'I want to trade jerseys with you,' and I'm like, 'The G.O.A.T., Rodgers, wants to trade jerseys with me?'" said Parsons earlier this week.
"To me, it's a great sign of respect, just the type of guy he is, that he could recognize such a young player in the league. So, I have nothing but respect for him and he's become one of my favorite players just because of that moment."
Nixon feels his early exposure to Rodgers unlocked something in his game. When he came to Green Bay, Nixon heard the rumblings about Rodgers and accusations of "arrogance," but that wasn't the man he grew to know in the locker room.
As Nixon's star rose, Rodgers kept providing words of encouragement even after the quarterback's departure from Green Bay.
"It was always good vibes. He always lifted players up," Nixon said. "He instilled confidence in me really early. I would always make a play and he'd be the first one to come over to the sideline and congratulate me so that was always big as a young player, especially who he was as a person."
After two difficult seasons in New York, the 41-year-old Rodgers has looked rejuvenated in Pittsburgh. He's completed 68.6% of his passes for 1,270 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions (105.0 passer rating) during the Steelers' 4-2 start.
Nixon doesn't like to talk about opponents before he plays them but gave a wry smile when asked for a scouting report of Rodgers and what Green Bay needs to do to slow down one of the game's greatest passers this Sunday.
"I'm waiting for the little shoulder shrug – when you see the shoulder shrug, you know he ready to throw the ball," Nixon said.
"But Aaron, arm talent and IQ is never gonna go nowhere. I think when he's retired, he can still play better than some of these young guys. That's just kudos to him for sure. Some people are special, and some people have that aura and he's definitely one of them."
