Moore Signing Most Intriguing of Packers’ Off Season
New Packers return man Skyy Moore scored a touchdown for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. He comes to Green Bay after an impressive season returning kicks for the 49ers.
So far in free agency the Green Bay Packers have signed seven players. Four of these players were current Packers re-signed to new deals: offensive lineman Sean Rhyan and Darin Kinnard, defensive tackle Jonathan Ford and edge Brenton Cox Jr. The other three were signed off of other teams: defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, cornerback Benjamin St. Juste and wide receiver/returner Skyy Moore.
To me, the most intriguing of the bunch is Skyy Moore. The Green Bay Packers have struggled at finding a consistent kick returner since the late 1990’s when Desmond Howard was a vital contributor to the team’s 1996 Super Bowl win.
The Packers have had some really good one-year wonders in the return game in the last 30 years: Howard in 1996, Roell Preston in 1998, Allen Rossum in 2000 and Will Blackmon in 2008. Several other guys were good on punt returns for several seasons before being moved off the position: Charles Woodson in 2006 and 2007, Randall Cobb in 2011 and 2012 and Micah Hyde in 2013 and 2014.
And recently, Keisan Nixon was the league’s All Pro kick returner after two impressive seasons on kickoff returns in 2022 and 2023. Nixon also was the team’s leading kick returner in 2024 despite being moved into a starter at cornerback.
Best Return Seasons Last 30 Years
| Season(s) | Player | Return Stats (Ret, Yds, TDs) |
| 1996 | Desmond Howard | KR - 22, 560, 0; 58*, 875*, 3 |
| 1998 | Roell Preston | KR - 57, 1497, 2; PR - 44, 398, 1 |
| 2000 | Allen Rossum | KR - 50, 1288, 1; PR - 29, 248, 0 |
| 2006-07 | Charles Woodson | PR - (06) 41, 363, 0; (07) 33, 268, 0 |
| 2008 | Will Blackmon | KR - 55, 1157, 0; PR - 36, 398, 2 |
| 2011-12 | Randall Cobb | 2011 KR - 34, 941, 1; PR - 26, 295, 1; 2012 KR - 38, 964, 0; 31, 292, 1 |
| 2013-14 | Micah Hyde | PR - (13) 24, 296, 1; (14) 14, 221, 2 |
| 2017 | Trevor Davis | KR - 31, 707, 0; PR - 24, 289, 0 |
* NFL Regular Season Record
Will Matt LaFleur finally prioritize a kick returner on the roster?
In seven years as the Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, Green Bay has only had one player who was a difference maker in the return game and that was Nixon. The Packers won 13 games with three straight seasons from 2019 to 2021 where they were near the bottom of the league in returning both kickoffs and punts.
This past season rookie Savion Williams was the leading kickoff returner, as he finished with 717 yards on 28 returns. He was one of 20 returners with at least 28 returns. Skyy Moore finished with 33 returns for 907 yards. On punts Romeo Doubs had 14 returns for 94 yards.
Packers Return Leaders Since 2019
| Year | Kickoff Return Leader | Punt Return Leader |
| 2019 | Treyvon Smith 13, 303, 0 | Tyler Ervin 11, 106, 0 |
| 2020 | Darius Shepherd 11, 227, 0 | Ervin 5, 20, 0 |
| 2021 | Amari Rodgers 11, 199, 0 | Amari Rodgers 20, 166, 0 |
| 2022 | Keisan Nixon 35, 1009, 1 | Rodgers 20, 139, 0 |
| 2023 | Nixon 30*, 782*, 0 | Nixon 14, 94, 0 |
| 2024 | Nixon 18, 582, 0 | Jayden Reed 14, 110, 0 |
| 2025 | Savion Williams 28, 717, 0 | Romeo Doubs 15, 94, 0 |
*NFL Leader
Moore had 291 yards on 25 punt returns, which would be the most for any Packers return man since the Mike McCarthy era. Trevor Davis finished with 289 yards in 2017. It’s possible the Packers found a player in free agency who can improve one of the team’s weakest positions since LaFleur became head coach in 2019.
What are the Packers getting in Moore?
Moore comes to the Packers as a 5th-year player, a former 2nd round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022. Moore came out of Western Michigan, the same school that produced Greg Jennings, with an impressive junior year with 96 catches, 1293 yards and 10 touchdowns.
However, in Kansas City Moore never caught on as a contributor at wide receiver. His best season was as a rookie with 22 catches for 250 yards. He did have a touchdown in the 4th quarter of the Chiefs Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
In three seasons in Kansas City, Moore had just 14 punt returns (all as a rookie in 2022) and only five total kickoff returns (in 2022 and 2023). Last season with San Francisco, it was his first year where he was a full-time return specialist. The result was the 5th best average (27.5) on kickoffs amongst returners with at least 26 kickoff returns. His 291 yards on punt returns was 11th best in the league.
Moore, who is still young at 25 years old, could finally be finding himself in a role that could keep him as a regular contributor in the NFL as a return specialist. And for the Packers, it is a position they have struggled to fill regularly for decades. It is possible that this signing will be one of the more impactful ones for the 2026 team.
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Mitch McLaughlin is a Packers fan and shareholder residing in Sacramento, California. He will be writing Packers stories each week on Cheesehead TV. He can be found on Twitter: @McLaughlinMitch
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Comments (23)
Oxymoron 3339
March 17, 2026 at 03:10 pm
I live in KC. I would lower your expectations. Skye is the only draft pick in their 2022 Draft class that didnt meet expectations. Chiefs had an amazing draft that year.
GreenandBold
March 17, 2026 at 04:42 pm
Desmond Howard didn’t live up to expectations either until he arrived in Green Bay . And that was one helluva season !
Oxymoron 3339
March 17, 2026 at 05:35 pm
Desmond was on fairly bad teams. Moore was on two of the best teams.
Cheezehead72
March 18, 2026 at 05:52 am
So maybe Moore did not stick with the team because they were a good team and had a good draft. The roster and cap are only so big. And maybe he was not that good because there were other players taking his reps.
I will wait and see what happens. At least the Packers made a move to improve ST.
golfpacker61
March 17, 2026 at 08:27 pm
Oxy, has KC had any really good WRs since they lost Tyreek Hill. It seems like they have struggled to score points the last 3 years. And the WRs they have drafted haven't been that great, even with the best QB on the planet. What give?
MilkCan44
March 18, 2026 at 11:13 pm
I think he'll be better than they've had. But he really needs to be a good sub for Jayden Reed - otherwise they should have been able to find a speedster in the later rounds of the draft.
13TimeChamps
March 17, 2026 at 03:30 pm
It's kind of hard to get excited about a former 2nd round pick who is only 25 years old and already on his 3rd team. But good luck to the young man. Maybe the 3rd time (and team) will be the charm.
Of course, he'll have to actually make the team first, unlike Mecole Hardman....another 2nd round KC returner who failed to do so, who is now on his 5th attempt to latch onto an NFL roster at age 28.
splitpea1
March 17, 2026 at 03:39 pm
I very much hope Moore makes the team. If he shows good judgment, has good hands, and has a good, mistake-free preseason, then he should. We need a competent returner. The only thing is that MLF seems to like S. Williams a whole lot, possibly due to his bigger size and gadget play usefulness (in his mind). Personally I think Moore could be the more useful player overall, so we'll see how this plays out.
Oxymoron 3339
March 17, 2026 at 04:05 pm
I think Savion has a much better upside than Skye. With Watson, Reed, Wicks, Golden and Wilson. Skye might be the odd man out especially since I hope we draft someone.
Injuries can also come into play
Doofapotamus
March 18, 2026 at 08:45 am
GB has 8 receivers in the roster at one point last year. They will have 7 this year with Melton and Moore if they both make the final roster. I don't know about you, but I've been sick of seeing Bo Melton on offense since the 2024 playoff game at Philly. He should be a primary special teamer and who knows what he could do at CB.
Swisch
March 17, 2026 at 07:54 pm
I like Savion Williams as a kick returner, and also like the signing of Skyy Moore.
It seems good to have at least two top returners for punts and kickoffs, especially if one or both of them are also getting snaps at wide receiver.
It's a brutal game in the NFL. It seems the wave of the future is to rotate players so as to give them some rest and relief from the rigors of the season.
I think a couple of our guys who would do more if they played a little less are Micah Parsons and Josh Jacobs.
Bear
March 17, 2026 at 07:15 pm
Travis Williams was the Packers best kick-off returner. His nickname was the roadrunner and averaged 41 kickoff return yardage in 1967. That year he returned 4 for touchdowns.
His 5 career touchdowns on kickoffs is still a Packer record.
1969 he scored 2 touchdowns on kicks. A 96 yard kickoff and a 83 yard punt return.
He died at the age of 45.
Swisch
March 17, 2026 at 07:48 pm
I'm too young, by a few years, to have watched Travis Williams in real time.
However, he lives on for me in Packers lore, and is fondly remembered.
I'll add to his accomplishments a great playoff game as a running back against the Rams in 1967.
May God bless all of our former Packers as truly members of our family, as fans of the greatest franchise in pro sports.
Which gets back to not renaming Lambeau Field after some corporation. Please, let's not sell out.
lou
March 19, 2026 at 09:38 am
The Packers had 2 excellent kick off returners in Tom Moore and Herb Adderley and a solid punt returner in Willie Wood but the Road Runner was as you indicate the best they ever had. I believe even though Williams was a solid 225 pounds on the football field in a game he was faster than Bob Hayes even tough Hayes 100 yard dash time was a tick faster than Williams.
Williams would hit the Wedge on returns full tilt and just bounce to the side and go where others would be driven back or leveled by the initial contact. Watching his highlights on Youtube bring back great memories.
The local Dodge dealer in Green Bay would give him a Road Runner to drive each season.
Swisch
March 17, 2026 at 07:41 pm
If he can approximate Desmond Howard -- who, as I understand it, was a bust before he came to the Packers -- then the signing of him is a very good thing, indeed.
I'm glad the Packers reached for the Skyy to put Moore into the return game.
golfpacker61
March 17, 2026 at 08:36 pm
I have had people downvote me and talk $hit to me when I say Skyy Moore is easily worth a real shot in GB. His KR ability is an obvious talent we need. A lot of NFL teams are funny in that they close the window quickly on players who aren't stars right away. Moore had a lot of talent coming into the NFL, he was a Top 10 WR with the stats shown above for his senior season alone. He also dropped only 7 balls his entire college career, so he has great hands. KC has really struggled at WR since Tyreek Hill was traded. And with as good as Mahommes has been that is surprising. Maybe Moore finds something in GB and starts his career with us. It would be a small payback for losing Creed Humphrey to them.
Cheezehead72
March 18, 2026 at 06:25 am
Not sure why they are so against Skyy. The one thing that might be on their mind is the Hardman experiment. Remember he was a Chief too.
The key is that I do not cared who the returner is but the returner cannot reach full potential unless the rest of the team blocks. I've said it before you cannot expect the STs to be better than average if you have an average team. The Packers are an average team.
Since'75
March 17, 2026 at 10:43 pm
".... Green Bay has only had one player who was a difference maker in the return game and that was Nixon."
Well...we still have Nixon. Problem is, he told the team he didn't want to do it anymore, so that was that...i guess.
ArlenWilliams
March 17, 2026 at 11:04 pm
Remember what GB was hoping for Amari Rodgers? Savion Williams?
They may have found that in Skyy Moore. Wouldn't be surprised if he gets a decent share of snaps in a WR position, possibly even at RB, in addition to returns.
golfpacker61
March 18, 2026 at 08:19 am
I read an interview that Moore gave and in it he flat out stated that he had lost confidence in his football abilities while in KC after some drop issues that he had never had before. I also don't understand why some posters on here seem so against any chance that Moore could have a career turn around in GB. It happens all the time in pro sports and Gb is a great organization. For whatever reason Moore didn't make a difference in KC, after the way last season turned out for GB, I and others are looking for something to get excited about. GPG!!!!!!!!!!
Doofapotamus
March 18, 2026 at 08:53 am
Well, they paid the guy $2.5m and if he does ANYTHING positive on special teams, it will have been worth the price we paid for him. Plus, if they want to have Williams in on kick returns, they can have both of them back there so we don't have to worry about another random picking up the ball unless it's a short squib. The Packers have signed some really good and cheap deals for veteran players this off-season.
MitchAnthony
March 18, 2026 at 09:25 am
Maybe the signing of Moore means Green Bay is going to take Special Teams and the return aspect a bit more serious. At least for the duration of training camp and the pre-season.
We shall see if it lasts beyond that time frame.
Watching with interest.
PatrickGB
March 19, 2026 at 11:18 am
Kick return rules have changed. Let’s hope the new ST’s coach can use him better than the last guy.