Why it would be ludicrous for Green Bay to release both Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson
This off-season has been a crazy one in Packer land so far. The front office got cleaned up in regards to management. Ted Thompson was moved from the GM role to a Senior Advisor, former VP of talent and relations Eliot Wolf went to Cleveland as an assistant GM, Dom Capers- Green Bay’s long-time defensive coordinator was fired, and finally, Green Bay got rid of QB coach Alex Van Pelt.
This brought about questions regarding the players in Green Bay. Specifically Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. What will Green Bay end up doing with them? Will they release both, restructure both, or will both take a pay cut to stay with Green Bay? These questions and more will be answered within the coming months.
Randall Cobb: $12.75M in 2018, the most expensive player not named Aaron Rodgers. $3.25M in dead money to release. Hasn’t topped 1000 yards in three seasons, averaging just under 5 TDs a year. 27 years old.
Jordy Nelson: $12.55M in 2017, $2.3M in dead money. Less than 500 yards this year, but still caught 6 TDs (more than Cobb) and only one year removed from monster 2016 season. 32 years old.
Both could possibly restructure. As a WR trio from 2014-’17, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, & Davante Adams combined for 781 receptions totaling 9,988 yards and 85 total touchdowns. They also averaged 12.7 yards per catch.
In 2017, Jordy Nelson ranked 5th in the NFL in separation for #1 WRs. (2.68 yards per separation at target). Out wide separation: 2.54 (73 percent of plays). Slot separation: 2.97 (26 percent of plays). Air yards per target: 12.8.
Randall Cobb ranked 2nd for slot WRs in separation. (3.42 yards per separation at target). Slot separation: 3.36 (73.8 percent of targets) Out wide separation: 3.53 (15.5 percent of targets). Air yards per target: 7.9. Aaron Rodgers won’t want that type of production to be gone in 2018.
The most expendable out of the two though would be Cobb. You could take Montgomery out of his RB role and put him back in the WR role in the slot to replace Cobb and still keep Nelson on the outside. All of this being said though, I still don’t think Green Bay goes as far as to release both. They either go with one or the other, or try and restructure both. Why? Because Green Bay doesn’t have any depth at wide receiver.
If they draft a replacement, how long it will take for the rapport to build up between Rodgers and the new draftee? Also, it’s not a guarantee that both Cobb and Nelson will be cut. They could both still remain on the team with pay cuts. It would be a HUGE loss to the offense if either player goes. Also, replacing Cobb with Montgomery wouldn’t necessarily fix the problem either.
I personally think they’ll both take pay cuts to remain with Green Bay. Rodgers himself may shell out a few thousand from his next contract extension to keep them. He doesn’t want to lose his two top targets and I don’t think Green Bay wants to either. They both still have gas left in the tank. Sure, their production has gone down since 2014 but that’s just due to age & wear & tear. They both can still play and Rodgers knows this.
He will do everything he can to make sure the front office keeps his two top targets on the team. It would be absolutely crazy to think that both Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson will not be with Green Bay in 2018. They still fit the offensive scheme very well and can provide Rodgers with more of an attack on offense.
I just hope Green Bay makes the right decision. I do know it will be a very tough one as both are very talented players and both are key pieces to a well running Green Bay offense. It’ll be hard for me to watch an Aaron Rodgers-led offense in 2018 without his two top targets in it. I know it’ll be tough for other fans as well. Stay tuned, this crazy off-season isn’t over yet. Not by a long-shot.
#DHPF @DieHardPackrFan #ParkerMoes @ParkerMoes
