Randall Cobb on exiting the Packers, return to Green Bay, his favorite teammates (hey, Jordy Nelson) and Aaron Rodgers' injury
Christopher KuhagenThe Green Bay Packers have such a special place in Randall Cobb's heart.
That's why he was crushed when his first go-round with the team ended in 2018. And it's why he was so excited when he returned to the Packers three years ago — playing again with Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams was a big part of it — even if that stint didn't quite end the way he envisioned, either.
"First thing I do is kiss the grounds at Lambeau," Cobb said during a recent podcast appearance on "Bussin' With The Boys" in reference to training camp in 2021 after spending two years away.
Cobb, 33, talked about his 10 years with the Packers, his season with the New York Jets last year, Rodgers and what's next for him during a lengthy conversation on the podcast.
Here are seven takeaways:
Randall Cobb on leaving Green Bay the first time
Cobb, a second-round pick from Kentucky in 2011, spent the first eight years of his career with the Packers.
He quickly became a reliable slot receiver and favorite for Rodgers. He posted his first 1,000-yard season in 2014, a season in which Green Bay had the top-scoring offense.
A year earlier, he suffered a broken leg in Week 6 but returned for the season finale against the Chicago Bears and caught the game-winning touchdown — a 48-yard pass from Rodgers in the final minute — to send Green Bay to the playoffs.
"Without a doubt, that was my place," Cobb said. "You know it’s a business. I love the business side of the game. I understand the business. I’ve been here for eight years. I love it so much. I wanted to be part of something special."
Cobb said the Packers didn't make him an offer when he was a free agent in 2019.
"I probably would have taken anything," Cobb said. "They wouldn’t even offer. That hit me a different way. I punctured my lung in a playoff game. Broken my leg, came back at the end of the year (in 2013).
"Why would I want to leave that? I didn’t want to go anywhere. But that was home for me."
Randall Cobb on being away from the Packers
After leaving Green Bay, Cobb spent one year in Dallas. He then signed with the Houston Texans, a move that in retrospect he "would have thought more about" since red flags popped up before he even played his first game (the team traded star receiver De'Andre Hopkins that spring). But Cobb said a tipping point for him in signing with the Texans was more guaranteed money than the Cowboys offered.
The Texans finished 4-12 and fired their head coach four games into the season. Cobb had just 441 receiving yards.
Despite that, Cobb was set to return to the Texans in 2021. However, Rodgers, who had gone through a public spat with management in Green Bay earlier that year, wanted Cobb back.
The Packers front office obliged. When the Texans told Cobb he was being traded to Green Bay, he couldn't contain his joy.
"I had the biggest smile on my face," Cobb remembered.
Randall Cobb on returning to the Packers
His excitement continued when he arrived back in Green Bay.
After kissing the grass at Lambeau Field, he told management: "Thank you for letting me back here."
But Cobb understood he had to prove himself again.
"I knew coming back it wasn’t going to be the same role," Cobb said. "I was a little bit more aged. Coming in to it, I didn’t know what to expect. When I came back, it was kind of weird. I didn’t know who actually wanted me back. I knew one guy (Rodgers) wanted to play with me."
Matt LaFleur had just been hired as coach when Cobb wasn't re-signed the first time and general manager Brian Gutekunst was in his second year.
"I didn’t know how it was being perceived in the locker room," Cobb reinforced about his return. "I’m trying to prove myself to all the guys in the locker room who don’t know me."
While Cobb, in his age 31 and 32 seasons, suffered injuries both years, he said he gave it his all and then some.
But he felt he wasn't always given the opportunities, even when coaches liked what they saw from him. Cobb said that, after he had two touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals when both Adams and Allen Lazard were out with COVID during the 2021 season, LaFleur praised him for stepping up.
"I’m so glad you’re here," Cobb said LaFleur told him. "He said it so much."
But Cobb's role still didn't increase, leaving him confused. It was almost like a "mental mind(expletive) I couldn’t overcome."
Cobb said he "understood what the situation was" and that he's thankful for the "two great years" but that he approached LaFleur about his role at the end of the 2023 season. They told him they wanted more speed.
"Never been one to say I need the ball," Cobb said about his personality. "Maybe I should have been (more forceful)."
Randall Cobb on going to the New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers' role in it
Cobb got honest about his one year with the Jets.
After the Packers didn't re-sign Cobb last offseason, he wondered if his career would be over. Rodgers, now in New York, had other ideas.
"I had no clue what (Rodgers) was saying to them but he called me, 'Would you be interested?'" Cobb said. "At the same time, I don’t want to just come here to just be (another guy)."
While the season didn't go the way anyone envisioned — the Jets missed the playoffs after Rodgers was lost for the year after four plays in Week 1 — he was grateful for the chance.
"They gave me an opportunity," Cobb said.
Cobb told the story about how head coach Robert Saleh before the season told him he didn't think the wide receiver would even make the team. Cobb said he appreciated Saleh's honesty.
But Cobb left the team no choice when he "balled" in the final weeks of training camp and "surprised" the coaching staff to the point that he got the nod in Week 1 as a starter with all of his "effort plays."
Randall Cobb on Aaron Rodgers' injury: 'I felt like I lost family'
Cobb went into the 2023 season optimistic.
"We were going into it flying high," Cobb said.
Then everything changed with Rodgers' injury.
"I walk into the training room (at halftime of the Week 1 game), the moment we locked eyes, I’ve never seen him cry the way that they were flowing that night," Cobb said. "It felt like I had lost family. It felt like I heard my brother died. It’s like so much emotion in that moment. I felt so bad for him because I knew how much he had put into this.
"... To see how much work he had put into it — four plays — for him to only have that experience, it was tough. It was a tough moment, I know for sure. The rest of that season was like we were just trying to hold on."
Like the team, Cobb would go to have a forgettable season and was even a healthy scratch for some games. He had a career-low five catches for 39 yards in 11 games.
Cobb said he was sure that, if the Jets made the playoffs, Rodgers would have returned.
"Without a doubt," Cobb said.
The Jets didn't re-sign Cobb in 2024.
"It was really difficult," Cobb said about the Jets' season without Rodgers. "(The Jets) put so much into that one move for Aaron. Almost a little PTSD for them."
Randall Cobb's favorite teammates include Jordy Nelson
Cobb has had hundreds of teammates across his 13 seasons in the NFL.
Who are his favorites?
We know he's very close with Rodgers — they're part of the Kentucky Derby group — but two Packers come to mind for Cobb for connections off the field as well.
His top three were Jordy Nelson, Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks and former Packers tight end DJ Williams.
Cobb said "Jordy was one of my guys."
"I learned so much outside of football about being a dad" from Nelson, who played with Cobb for seven seasons.
Williams was in the same draft class as Cobb.
"We got some good times, good stories back in the day," Cobb said.
Is Randall Cobb retired?
Cobb isn't retired.
"I haven't made any kind of decision," but as he noted "someone's got to want you, too."
So far, no team has called.
"Everybody ages out of this league at some point," Cobb acknowledged. "A matter of when, how. I’m kind of in that position now, if I want to go out on my own terms, I can. And I’ll be happy."
Cobb said he'll increase the intensity of his trainings in July and August but wouldn't sign with a team this summer. During the season, he would consider it but only to a team with an established quarterback and in a place he's familiar.
But Cobb, who turns 34 in August, said he's not fretting if a team doesn't call. He's content with his career.
"I’m just sitting back, relaxing, enjoying time with the family, chilling, taking vacations and living life," Cobb said.
