Acme Packing Company
In our continuing series on the Packers All-Quarter Century Team, we’re down to the last few spots!
We’re down to one last spot on our roster. A punt returner is often overlooked, but he can make a massive difference in field position and, if you’re lucky, you can find someone who can put points on the board all on his own.
The Green Bay Packers have a strong track record of success on punt returns over the past few decades, though the game-changing plays have been harder to come by in the very recent past. Still, there are no shortage of exciting players to choose from for our All-Quarter Century Team, and the group of nominees includes true return specialists as well as star players on both sides of the football.
Help us decide on the top punt returner of the last 25 years below!
Regular season: 40 attempts, 357 yards (8.9 average), 1 TD
Playoffs: 2 attempts, 41 yards (20.5 average)
A cornerback by trade, Rossum made his mark in the NFL as a return specialist, first with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1998 and ‘99. He signed with the Packers for the 2000 season and immediately took over duties on kickoff and punt returns. Rossum’s one punt return touchdown in Green Bay was a big one — he delivered a game-winning 55-yard score against the Buccaneers with just over 3 minutes remaining in week 8 of the 2001 season.
Rossum was sidelined with an injury midway through that year due to a knee injury, and he signed with Atlanta the following offseason. There he continued his impressive run as a return man for several more seasons, making a Pro Bowl in 2004.
Regular season: 110 attempts, 903 yards (8.2 average), 1 TD
Playoffs: 10 attempts, 62 yards (6.2 average)
After a 2002 season that saw rookie wideout Javon Walker handle most of the kickoff return duties, the Packers signed Chatman out of the Arena Football League in the summer of 2003. He would handle punts for all three years in Green Bay while steadily expanding his role on offense; in fact, he was second on the team in receiving yards in 2005 behind only Donald Driver.
Chatman’s lone punt return score also came in 2005, when he scored from 85 yards out in a divisional game against the Chicago Bears. That helped the 2-12 Packers upset the 11-3 Bears on Christmas Day and was the longest punt return in the entire NFL that season.
Regular season: 75 attempts, 631 yards (8.4 average)
Playoffs: No PR attempts
It’s easy to forget that Woodson was the Packers’ primary punt returner in his first two seasons with the team. He rarely returned any punts or kicks for the Raiders prior to arriving in Green Bay, but his punt return acumen was part of what made him such a dangerous weapon for the Michigan Wolverines and...
