Cobb, Who Will Play in 2023, Could Land With Jets

After recent ankle surgery, Randall Cobb reportedly was mulling his future. Not anymore. Now, it's a matter of which team.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Mar 14, 2023 11:27 AM EDT
Original:
Mar 13, 2023

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers receiver Randall Cobb, who is among the team’s 14 unrestricted free agents, intends to play in 2023, a source told Packer Central on Monday.

Cobb caught 34 passes in 13 games last season. He missed four midseason games with an ankle injury but returned for the stretch run. He recently had surgery that, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported, would allow him to play pain-free in 2023 should he decide he wanted to play.

That decision has been made. Now, the question is with which team. As reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Adam Schefter of ESPN on Tuesday morning, Cobb could follow Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets if a Rodgers-to-New York trade happens.

“I want the Randall Cobbs of the world – if he wants to keep playing – in my locker room. Guys you can win with,” Rodgers said at the end of the season.

Cobb, a second-round pick by the Packers in 2011, will turn 33 during training camp. Despite his age, he turned in a solid season.

He caught 70.8 percent of targeted throws, averaged 5.6 yards after the catch and 1.67 yards per route, and had two drops (5.6 percent), according to Pro Football Focus. That put his Year 12 numbers right about in line with his career marks.

Cobb led the Packers’ receivers in catch percentage and forced missed tackles (four) and was second in YAC per catch and yards per route.

“I don’t know why you’re all acting like I’m geriatric,” Cobb said with a smile after the New England game. “I’m not in a nursing home. This is the best I’ve felt since I was like 29.”

However, Cobb’s productivity waned – perhaps due to the aftereffects of the injury. During the final six games, he caught 10 passes for 87 yards. Given his early-season production on third down, he should have had a bigger role on an inconsistent offense.

“I’d try to go out there with my leg off if I could,” Cobb said of his midseason return. “I’d go out there with one leg and one arm if I could.”

Conventional wisdom suggests Cobb’s return to Green Bay might be tied to the future of Aaron Rodgers. However, general manager Brian Gutekunst at the Scouting Combine said he would like to have one veteran receiver on the unit. Of the team’s five receivers under contract, four were rookies in 2022 (Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure and Bo Melton) and the other (Jeff Cotton) has played one career snap.

“I’d love to have a veteran presence,” Gutekunst said. “It’s just another guy in the room that those guys can bounce things off of and bring to the table. Whether that will happen or not, we’ll see, but I think that experience – as excited as I am about those young guys – having a guy with the kind of experience that has seen things, none of those guys got to play in a playoff game, right? It’d be nice to have a guy that can continue to help move those guys along as well as a veteran presence out there. I think that’s important.”

Cobb moved up to fifth on the franchise’s career list with 532 receptions. He’s 11th with 6,316 receiving yards and 10th with 47 receiving touchdowns.

Cobb left in free agency after the 2018 season, with one season in Dallas and another in Houston.

In 2021, the Packers used a third-round pick on Amari Rodgers in hopes of getting the slot production that Cobb used to provide. Interestingly, they had known each other for years.

At Aaron Rodgers’ urging, the Packers brought back Cobb at the start of training camp in 2021. Despite Cobb’s mentorship, Amari Rodgers didn’t even make it through a second year with the team. Meanwhile, Cobb’s career keeps going.

Will it continue in Green Bay? Or will his final game at Lambeau be the playoff loss vs. Detroit, after which he walked off the field arm-and-arm with Aaron Rodgers?

“Yeah, that’s my brother. That’s the man who stood in my wedding. That’s the godfather to one of my kids,” Cobb said. “It’s way bigger than football for us. Obviously, we’ve had a lot of moments together. We’ve spent a lot of years together on this team in Green Bay here. We’ll see where life takes us.”