A drastic change could be on the horizon for the Green Bay Packers with regards to its receiving corps. According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, Green Bay will not commit to the $10 million contract Pro Bowl slot receiver Randall Cobb is seeking and that he is ready to test the free agency market.
This comes as no surprise as the Packers have been unable to reach an agreement throughout the off-season with Cobb and did not place the franchise tag on him, which would have been a one-year deal worth $12.823 million. If the Packers were to give into Cobb’s demands, he would be making more than Jordy Nelson, the team’s clear No. 1 receiver.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders are reportedly vying for Cobb’s services with their significant amount of cap space as well as the Kansas City Chiefs.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how the absence of Cobb will alter the complexion of the offense.
Though the Packers have lost key players from their offense in the past like James Jones in 2014 and have remained a potent offensive juggernaut, there is no doubt that there will be a noticeable void to fill as the fourth-year receiver compiled his finest season with 91 receptions, 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns.
However, this isn’t to say there are no viable options for the Packers if he were to bolt to another team. General Manager Ted Thompson drafted three wide recievers last season, taking Davante Adams, Jared Abbredaris and Jeff Janis. Adams was inconsistent but he showed flashes of brilliance at the same time while Abbredaris was sidelined his entire rookie season with a torn ACL and Janis only saw a few snaps.
Another draft bound to be deep with wide receiving options remains. There are also plenty of cheaper, experienced veteran receivers from Brian Hartline and Harry Douglas to Torrey Smith, though the prospect of Green Bay signing one of them is slim. It also doesn’t hurt to have a two-time MVP quarterback behind center, who can elevate the game of those around him.