Over the summer, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb admitted that he didn't think he had done enough to warrant a long-term deal from the team. At that point in his career, Cobb had shown brilliant flashes of talent but was also coming off a broken leg that caused him to miss 10 games.
This season, the 24-year-old pending free agent has done more than enough to get Green Bay's attention. Cobb has hauled in 76 balls for 1,076 yards and 10 touchdowns, all career highs. Yet despite the high-end production, little progress appears to have been made on a new deal.
"There's no contract talks that have been going on right now, so I guess not," Cobb said about himself earning a new deal. "I guess there's still more to do. So, just continue to put my nose down every day and focus on getting the team into the playoffs and doing everything I can to bring back the Super Bowl."
Cobb and the Packers are still expected to work out a new deal, but it is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Last season, Green Bay and Sam Shields didn't come to terms on a contract agreement until just days before the cornerback was scheduled to become available.
It will be interesting what kind of numbers both sides exchange. Cobb, a former second-round pick, is putting up numbers similar to a No. 1 wide receiver. However, one must consider the talent around him and the ways in which he is producing. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson helps take a lot of attention off Cobb, who plays mostly in the slot as opposed to outside the numbers as many No. 1 WRs do. Cobb also has MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball. Rodgers is so talented he could make you and I half way decent NFL receivers.
Nelson signed a four-year deal worth $39 million earlier this year and it is all but assured that Cobb will be paid less than his counterpart with the superior numbers (83 catches, 1,320 yards, 12 touchdowns). A deal in the vicinity of the one Eric Decker signed with the New York Jets seems plausible. Decker got five years and $35 million.
Either way, it's clear that Cobb has earned a hefty pay raise with his play. Whether the Packers will be the team to give it to him remains to be seen.
