Surprise Super Bowl star? Chiefs KR Nikko Remigio says ‘moment isn't too big for me’

Greg Auman

NFL Reporter

NEW ORLEANS — There hasn’t been a kickoff returned for a touchdown in a Super Bowl in 11 years, the longest such drought in 40 years, and there’s never been a punt-return touchdown in any of the first 58 Super Bowls.

The player in the best position to end those streaks and find a piece of Super Bowl history is one of the least-known players on either team’s roster.

Meet Nikko Remigio, who has fewer than 100 snaps in his NFL career but has made splash plays with big returns in each of the Chiefs‘ playoff wins on the way to New Orleans.

“I appreciate the history of returns in any NFL game, period. They’re hard to get,” Remigio said this week, preparing for Sunday’s game against the Eagles. “The fact we’ve had two [long returns] in the last two games, I’m definitely going to do everything I can to get to that end zone in this last game.”

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Remigio flashed big-play skills in college, returning a kickoff for a touchdown at Cal in 2021 and returning two punts for scores as a grad transfer at Fresno State in 2022. His size — 5-foot-9 and 187 pounds — kept him from being drafted, but he drew interest from the Chiefs and signed with the defending champs.

He doesn’t have a returner he patterns himself after, but the position doesn’t get better than Devin Hester, the only kick returner in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hester’s touchdown for the Chicago Bears in 2007, on a Super Bowl opening kickoff, when the whole world was watching, is what every returner dreams of, and what Remigio could have a shot at on Sunday.

Hester’s special-teams coordinator in Chicago that season was Dave Toub, who has been in the same role with the Chiefs throughout their run under Andy Reid. That’s an inspiration for Remigio, who hopes to follow in Hester’s Super footsteps.

“I used to watch his highlights all the time, and the fact that I get to get coached by Coach Toub, who played a huge role in his career, is really just a blessing,” he said.

It took a rash of injuries at receiver for Remigio to get his shot, initially with practice-squad elevations and finally a spot on the 53-man roster. He played in only five regular-season games, and the two receptions he got came in a Week 18 loss to the Broncos when Kansas City rested key starters. His impact on special teams has been constant, though, and he’ll have a chance to continue that Sunday.

“He’s real smart, he catches the ball square, he has vision when he catches it of what’s coming at him, so he can make people miss,” Toub said. “He’s got a lot of talent and keeps getting better and better, so we’re excited for him.”

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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