GREEN BAY – Skyy Moore couldn't have asked for a warmer welcome to Green Bay than the one the new Packers receiver/returner got the first day of training camp.
Walking out the doors at Lambeau Field, the fifth-year veteran and two-time Super Bowl champion was met by a crowd of children shouting for Moore to ride their bike to practice.
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound wideout saw the videos on social media before, but now Moore was living it.
"I was asking the little girl I was with, Emma, and she was walking me through it," said Moore with a smile. "As soon as you come into Green Bay, it's like a college-type vibe. I never got to play at a big college, but it felt like I go to Ohio State or something."
Signing with the Packers in March has felt a bit like destiny for Moore, a former second-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs who enjoyed a resurgence last year in San Francisco.
It was roughly a year ago the trajectory of Moore's career changed when the Chiefs traveled to face the Seattle Seahawks in their second preseason game.
After a core muscle injury ended his 2024 season, the 25-year-old receiver was fighting for a roster spot in Kansas City when he was summoned to field a Michael Dickson punt with a little more than three minutes left in regulation.
Catching the ball cleanly, Moore stuck his foot in the ground, made three Seahawks defenders miss and charged down the left sideline. By the time Moore found the end zone on the 88-yard touchdown return, he knew what might be coming next.
Whether it was in Kansas City or elsewhere in the NFL, Moore likely had more returns in his future. Six days later, the 49ers traded for Moore and anointed him their primary returner on both kickoffs and punts for the 2025 season.
"I knew that from Day 1. You're coming here to do this," Moore said. "I took one to the house and I already knew they were gonna look at me as a main returner after that."
Prior to that moment, returning had always been more of a side quest for Moore than an actual job. He had four total returns in three years at Western Michigan before fielding 14 kickoffs and three punts during his rookie season in Kansas City.
Longtime Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub saw something in Moore, but fumbles were an issue and Kansas City ultimately went a different direction in 2023-24.
Something clicked in San Francisco, though. Moore settled into his new surroundings, returning 33 kickoffs for 907 yards (27.5 yards per return) and 25 punts for 291 yards (11.6-yard average).
While finishing in the top 10 leaguewide in both categories, Moore became the first NFL player to post a kickoff return of 95-plus yards and a punt return of 65-plus yards in the same season since 2018.
"It was me just working on it," Moore said. "I always give credit to Coach Toub over at the Chiefs. He believed in me when I didn't believe in myself as a rookie. He always told me, 'Keep doing it. Keep doing it.' I kept at it. When I got my next shot, I was ready for it."
Now, Moore is bringing those talents to Green Bay, where he'll be looked upon to lift a return unit that's been in a state of flux since Keisean Nixon's second All-Pro season in 2023.
Counting playoffs, 10 different Packers players returned at least one kickoff or punt last season. Green Bay finished 23rd in kickoff-return average (25.2 ypr) and last on punts (5.6 ypr).
Having closely followed Moore, Green Bay believes it's signed a special-teams playmaker who also fits well into Head Coach Matt LaFleur's offense.
"Skyy's going to help us as a returner and as a receiver. I think he's going to do both," General Manager Brian Gutekunst sad. "He does a lot of the things offensively that Matt asks of those guys, particularly in the slot, and then, obviously, he's a proven punt and kick returner. I expect him to be part of our squad moving forward."
Moore missed roughly half of the offseason program with an injury but has served as the No. 1 returner on both kickoffs and punts through the first week of the offseason program.
What the Packers find most intriguing, though, is their contention Moore still possesses untapped offensive potential after totaling 639 yards and a TD on 56 touches in 53 games.
"When you watch him with the ball in his hands, I mean it's undeniable," LaFleur said. "The guy is strong, he can run through tackles, he can make people miss and just early indications are he's done a good job of picking up our playbook."
Moore and the Packers' special teams, under new coordinator Cam Achord, have come together at a good time with each side having something to prove this season.
If the past year has taught Moore anything, it's that sometimes the NFL journey you imagined can take an entirely different course and that's not necessarily a bad thing – especially when it brings you to the place you were meant to be.
"Being able to go back there and understand they're going to kick this ball and the whole entire franchise is on you in that moment, that's a lot to carry," Moore said. "But at the same time, we've been doing this since we were 5 years old and it's just ball. You go back thinking this is my time to shine."
