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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In the divisional round against the Texans, Remigio (pronounced ruh-me-HEE-oh) took the opening kickoff and weaved 63 yards — he then fumbled, but a teammate recovered. Then he had a 41-yard punt return against the Bills in the AFC Championship Game, setting up a short field, which resulted in a touchdown and a 21-10 lead for the Chiefs before halftime.
All this from an undrafted player who spent the 2023 season on injured reserve with a wrist injury. A year ago, he flew in for the Super Bowl on the team’s “friends and family” flight on Friday, not even attending meetings or practices during the week. Even this season, he was among Kansas City’s final cuts in August, landing on the practice squad and staying there until injuries opened a roster spot in December.
“It’s a dream come true,” the 25-year-old said of playing in the Super Bowl. “I wouldn’t be here without God and how he’s prepared me for this moment, stuck with me through the ups and downs, showed me how to be grateful of where I’m at, regardless of where I am. Now that I’m here, the moment isn’t too big for me.”
[Prep for the epic Eagles-Chiefs matchup on FOX Sports’ Super Bowl LIX hub]
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.
[Related: 21st Century All-Super Bowl Team: Bears KR Devin Hester makes best squad of past 25 years]
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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