The year was 2022, and cornerback Keisean Nixon was a new face with the Packers—he'd signed with Green Bay on March 26 after three years with the Raiders. To hear the South Carolina product tell it, he was having a hard time adjusting to life in Wisconsin.
"I did not wanna come here. I hated it here when I first got here and I used to just be kinda miserable—just wasn't comfortable, just trying to get to know guys and stuff like that," Nixon said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
Enter then-Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who Nixon will face as an opponent Sunday when Green Bay plays the Steelers. Nixon said that Rodgers took the initiative to make him feel welcome in '22.
"Aaron used to always be like, 'Why you so mad and angry?' and made me give him a hug and then it was like a thing," Nixon said. "But our relationship grew over time. We still talk and communicate and stuff like that, but I appreciate him always."
Nixon went on to two All-Pro teams as a kick returner in '22 (Rodgers's last season with Green Bay) and 2023, in addition to constant productivity on defense.
While Rodgers may have his detractors, Nixon is not one of them.
"I never experienced [arrogance] with Aaron. It was always good vibes," Nixon said, via team writer Weston Hodkiewicz. "He always lifted players up. I remember when I was kind of going through a slump early on in that year, I wasn’t playing that much. He was just telling me, ‘It’s gonna come. Just be ready.’"
The Packers will face the Steelers on Sunday Night Football.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Packers' Keisean Nixon Recalls Aaron Rodgers Helping Him When He Came to Green Bay.