A drastic pay cut won’t stop Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb from putting in the work. This week, Cobb is leading a young group of wide receivers at voluntary OTAs, resulting in some well-deserved praise from his head coach.
“It means everything,” coach Matt LaFleur said when asked what Cobb’s presence means. “He is such a leader in that room, not only on offense but he’s been sitting there in those special teams’ meetings and doing a great job with that and being able to help a lot of these young guys out.”
Rookies Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure have yet to catch any passes from quarterback Aaron Rodgers. All three may have to wait until training camp or whenever Rodgers decides to show up. Mandatory minicamp starts next week, but no one knows if the starting quarterback will show up.
In the meantime, the young guys are watching and learning from Cobb.
“I make sure I come out and continue to push myself and work hard and to make sure that I’m creating the standard,” Cobb said via the team’s official website. “I think that’s the most important thing for myself, and why I’m here is to create that standard for (the) young guys who are coming in, so they know what’s expected and how we do things.”
Cobb is entering his 12th NFL season. His 498 receptions as a Packer rank sixth all-time in team history, most of those coming from Rodgers. If anyone knows how to build chemistry or what to expect when playing with the four-time NFL MVP, it’s Cobb.
According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, 12 veterans were missing from Tuesday’s practice. However, Cobb was present and not just going through the motions.
.@rcobb18 routes ⚡️#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/WwKkqJkTlM
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 31, 2022
LaFleur also pointed out that Cobb has taken it upon himself to sit in on special teams’ meetings. During his first two seasons in Green Bay, Cobb played a big role on Green Bay’s special teams, serving as the primary kick and punt returner. Over the years, Cobb has played less and less on the third unit, with age and injuries being major factors. However, before his football days are over, Cobb has a great perspective on leaving it all on the field.
“I’m so grateful for the time that I’ve had, and I have now, and I just relish the moment, take it all in because this is going on Year 12 for me,” Cobb said. “I’m going to enjoy every moment of it and enjoy the golden years because these are going the glory days that people always look back on.”
