Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon is certainly “excited” to open the NFL season against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 6 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He just doesn’t say why.
“I was actually really excited to go to Brazil,” the smiling 26-year-old told reporters this week at Packers OTAs. “I’m still excited to go to Brazil. I won’t tell you why, but I’m excited to go to Brazil.
Then, after describing himself as a “jumping lemur,” Nixon reiterated, “I’m excited to go to Brazil.” Very excited.’
So what exactly is so exciting about Sao Paulo, Brazil? Is it world-class gastronomy? Famous architecture? Your Football Museum? Why would a young, apparently single man want to travel to a party metropolis of nearly 20 million people, more than half of whom are women?
It is a mystery for the ages.
It’s true that Keisean Nixon is “excited” to open the NFL season in Brazil. He just won’t say why
Sao Paulo is known for its carnival celebration with proactively dressed samba dancers.
The Green Bay Packers will play the Philadelphia Eagles when the NFL holds its first regular season game in Brazil on September 6.
The matchup in Sao Paulo will mark the first time since 1970 that the NFL will play a game on Friday night on the opening weekend of the season.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had already said in February that the Eagles would be the home team for the game. The NFL announced in April that the Packers would be the Eagles’ opponent.
The match will take place at the Corinthians Arena, home of the Brazilian soccer team Corinthians. The venue was used in the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
This will mark the Packers’ second international game in the last three years. They played their first regular season game outside the United States in 2022, when they lost 27-22 to the New York Giants at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
“We look forward to being a part of this historic matchup against the Eagles in Sao Paulo,” Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy said in a statement. “We are excited to play in front of our devoted fans in Brazil and help build the international popularity of the NFL and the Packers. We had a great experience playing internationally for the first time a couple of years ago and are proud to be part of the continued global growth of the league”.
The game will stream exclusively on Peacock and will also be available on free television in the Eagles’ and Packers’ home markets.
The last time the NFL had a Friday night game on its opening weekend was September 18, 1970, when the Los Angeles Rams hosted the St. Louis Cardinals.
Revelers from the Vai vai samba school perform at the sambadrome in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Sao Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes celebrates an American soccer ball on August 10 in Brazil
A reveler from the Mocidade Alegre samba school performs during the second night of carnival
The NFL game will take place at Corinthians Arena, home of the Corinthians football team.
In March, Nixon signed a three-year, $18 million contract that includes a $6.5 million signing bonus.
He made four starts at cornerback for the Packers last season, but had his biggest impact on special teams.
Nixon also had an NFL-leading 1,009 kickoff return yards. He averaged 28.83 yards per kickoff return and had five returns of more than 50 yards, and had the best single-season average of a Packer with at least 30 kickoff returns.
Nixon was the fourth player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to have more than 1,000 yards on 35 or fewer kick returns. The others were Alvin Haymond in 1970, Joe McKnight in 2011 and Cordarrelle Patterson in 2015 and 2020.
He also averaged 12.7 yards on 11 punt returns and had six tackles on special teams.