Packers cave in to Aaron Rodgers demand with Randall Cobb trade
This one’s for you, Aaron.
The Packers reacquired Texans wide receiver Randall Cobb on Wednesday, a move that was seemingly part of a list of concessions aimed at enticing Aaron Rodgers to play at least one more season in Green Bay.
“He’s earned a place at the table,” Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said Wednesday of the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who will suit up for the Packers in 2021 following an offseason filled with reports that he wanted out.
Shortly after Gutekunst’s comment on Rodgers, Cobb announced the trade on Twitter, writing, “I’M COMING HOME.”
The Packers sent a 2022 sixth-round pick to the Texans for Cobb, according to NFL Network.
A second-round pick by the Packers in 2011, Cobb spent the first eight seasons of his career as one of Rodgers’ go-to targets.
Cobb caught 41 touchdowns and had 470 receptions — ranked sixth in Packers history — for 5,524 receiving yards with Green Bay before leaving for the Cowboys and eventually signing a three-year, $27 million deal with the Texans, leaving a void in the Packers’ slot they haven’t filled since.
Houston will pay $3 million of Cobb’s contract to facilitate the deal.
Cobb, who will turn 31 in August, caught three touchdowns and had 38 receptions for 441 receiving yards in 10 games last season. A toe injury caused him to miss six games.
Despite rumors that he could hold out of training camp to force a trade, which would have led to a $50,000 fine for every day he missed, the 37-year-old Rodgers reported Tuesday.
The concessions made by Green Bay reportedly include Rodgers having control over where he is potentially traded next offseason.
Rodgers reportedly has been frustrated with the Packers’ recent personnel decisions, which included selecting his potential successor, Jordan Love, in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft rather than another offensive weapon to help him in his final seasons.
Rodgers has three years left on a four-year, $134 million contract ($98.7 million guaranteed).