The way things are going, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Aaron Rodgers gave Jordy Nelson a call to try and coax him out of retirement. Randall Cobb has landed a job, the former Green Bay receiver who wrapped up a second tour of duty with the team, signed a one year free agent deal with, you got that right, the New York Jets. It was Rodgers and Cobb walking arm and arm off the frozen tundra last January after the Packers couldn’t beat Detroit in the regular season finale, denying them an NFC Wild Card spot. Now they’ll walk arm in arm, together again in Florham Park, New Jersey. Financial terms on Cobb’s contract haven’t been disclosed but it won’t be much above the veteran minimum for the former 2022 second round draft choice of the Pack.
Cobb’s arrival in the Big Apple now makes a handful of former Packer players and an assistant coach who have landed with the Jets this off-season. The headliner of course is Rodgers, traded to New York just days before last month’s draft. Wide receiver Allen Lazard was the first former Packer free agent to sign a deal with the Jets and he has since been joined by former backup quarterback Tim Boyle and former offensive lineman Billy Turner. And of course there’s offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, brought on board by Head Coach Robert Saleh after Hackett’s forgettable stint as Head Coach of the Denver Broncos.
The Packers meanwhile, open their rookie mini-camp tomorrow. Head Coach Matt LaFleur will get his first look at his 13 draft picks, 12 undrafted rookie free agents and a host of other players invited to take part on a try-out basis. The team will have practice sessions on Friday and Saturday.
Green Bay has added another player, by way of a unique league program. Defensive lineman Kenneth Odemegwu has been allocated to the Packers through the NFL’s International Pathway Program. It’s designed to give athletes from foreign countries a chance to pursue a career in the NFL. Odemegwu played for Anambra State’s football team in Nigeria. He also attended former New York Giant Osi Umenyiora’s football camp in Ghana where he earned the camp’s defensive MVP award.
