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Randall Cobb: Grading His Deal with the Packers

By Evan Massey

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What grade do the Green Bay Packers and Randall Cobb get for their new four-year, $40 million deal that they signed on Saturday night?

Randall Cobb has been one of the hottest names this offseason so far, and he was expected to end up leaving the Green Bay Packers in free agency. The Packers were offering him around $9 million per season, while multiple other teams around the league were preparing $11 million offers for him. Adam Schefter broke the news out of nowhere that the Packers and Cobb had agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal.

Needless to say, it was a shock to hear this news at 10:20 p.m. on a Saturday night with free agency opening up on Tuesday. Cobb and the Packers both compromised on what they were going to give and get, and settled with $10 million per season. It is a steep price but it is a huge success for the Packers.

Green Bay was one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses last year, and Cobb was a huge part of that. He caught 91 passes for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns, and was actually the NFL’s best wide receiver in the slot.

Aaron Rodgers and Cobb built up impressive chemistry throughout the course of the 2014 season. There is obvious trust between the two players, and Cobb made some huge plays in key situations throughout the course of the year. Perhaps the most important thing that Cobb brings to the field is an ideal compliment alongside of fellow star wide receiver Jordy Nelson.

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So the question becomes, what grade do the Packers and Cobb get for their new deal?

There aren’t going to be many teams that come away from free agency with a better deal or a bigger win. Cobb is one of the most talented free agents on the market, and at 24-years-old still has plenty of room left to grow. That is a scary thought for opposing defenses who already had issues covering him last season.

Speed and quickness in the open field is what has made Cobb so dangerous so far in his NFL career, and it is something that has made the Packers defense so much more difficult to defend against. Nelson is a big body and capable of doing everything on the field, while Cobb will tear defenses apart down the field, across the middle, out of the backfield, and in the screen game.

The emergence of Davante Adams last season was huge for the Packers as well, and it gives them three legitimate big play wide receivers.

It will be very intriguing to see if Cobb’s numbers take yet another jump next season with another full offseason of work. He showed last year that he is more than capable of living up to big expectations, and now that he has a big new deal the expectations will go up even more.

All of that being said, this was a necessary deal for the Packers to make and they will keep their offense mostly intact. Bryan Bulaga is the other high-profile offensive free agents that Green Bay has, but it is unclear whether or not they will end up re-signing him.

Next season will be a very intriguing year, with the Packers being expected to make a run in the NFC. At this point in time, they are expected to be one of the Super Bowl favorites, and re-signing Cobb was a huge part of keeping that intact.

When everything is said and done, this will go down as one of the top moves in the entire offseason. Cobb made it very clear by turning down 6-7 other offers worth more than his deal with the Packers, that he wanted to win and he wanted to stay loyal to the team that gave him his first chance. That is a quality that can’t be replaced, and it is a very valuable asset.

Randall Cobb Signing Grade: A

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