Packers Reportedly Willing To Trade Randall Cobb

I’d say this comes as a surprise. The Green Bay Packers are reportedly open to trading Randall Cobb.

According to Michael Lombardi, they’re not just open to trading Cobb. They are apparently actively shopping him.

“I know his name’s being shopped around,” Lombardi, a former NFL executive, said on his GM Street podcast.

We know the Packers have a logjam at receiver, but Davante Adams and Cobb are the only proven players. Cobb is still listed atop the depth chart, but would a trade make sense?

Yes and no.

With the depth the Packers have, it makes sense. They just spent three draft picks on the position — J’Mon Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown. They have a find in Jake Kumerow they probably didn’t expect to play like he has. Geronimo Allison appears ready to start on the outside. DeAngelo Yancey has looked much better in year two. Trevor Davis will likely make the roster because of his return ability.

Cobb hasn’t approached his 2014 productivity. Plus, he seems consistently injured or playing hurt, which limits his effectiveness.

It doesn’t make sense because of Cobb’s salary and cap number. The latter is more than $12 million, this year. It’s hard to see any team real excited to take that on.

What might be more likely is the Packers end up releasing Cobb, who is in the final year of his contract. They would pick up about $9 million in cap space by doing so.

It’s something we hadn’t considered until now, but it does make sense. Primarily, the money savings and they get to keep another promising young receiver.

Cobb surely wouldn’t be out of work for long if released, but another team taking on the salary and giving something up for him seems far-fetched. If general manager Brian Gutekunst can pull that off, he just might be a genius.