There is a ton to unpack with Aaron Rodgers’ apparent decision to rejoin the Green Bay Packers for a Last Dance, but one revelation in particular crystalizes how this Cold War was never about money. One of Rodgers’ conditions to play in Green Bay this fall is that the Packers trade for his old running mate Randall Cobb, who spent his first eight seasons in Green Bay.
Will the Packers honor Aaron Rodgers’ reported request and trade for Randall Cobb?
The news that Rodgers would like Cobb back in the fold with the Packers comes courtesy of PFN’s Chief NFL Analyst Trey Wingo, who broke the news on Twitter on Monday afternoon.
Hearing Rodgers coming back to GB hinging on trading for former teammate Randall Cobb . If Cobb is in Green Bay it looks like Rodgers will be too
— trey wingo (@wingoz) July 26, 2021
Cobb is currently under contract with the Houston Texans, but perhaps for not much longer. Houston raised eyebrows Sunday by trading for Anthony Miller who, like Cobb, plays the slot. The Texans also have Keke Coutee, who can also play that position.
Perhaps the Texans were simply setting the table for a trade with the Packers to send Cobb back to Wisconsin.
In eight seasons with Green Bay, Cobb caught 470 passes for 5,524 yards and 41 touchdowns. He hasn’t come close to matching that production in his past two years with the Cowboys and Texans.
It appears Rodgers had some other demands met for his return to the Packers
ESPN and NFL Network both reported that the Packers are reworking Rodgers’ contract to give him more control over where he plays in 2022. Rodgers has been unhappy in Green Bay for some time and had considered retirement if the Packers did not trade him.
But the two sides have made progress on his issues in recent days, as evidenced by optimistic talk by team brass at the Packers’ shareholders meeting Monday.
Rodgers’ issue has never been about money, and he’s not getting any more of it in a reworked deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Rather, Schefter reports that the new deal would be voided with no tags after 2022, reworked to give the Packers additional cap space in 2021, and have “mechanisms … put in place to address Rodgers’ issues with the team.”
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