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As Profootballtalk.com's Darin Gantt framed it, "Randall Cobb could have almost certainly made more money elsewhere. ... But he decided to stay home."
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Packers wide receiver has agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal to stay in Green Bay. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is reporting that $17 million is guaranteed
Green Bay's offense and fantasy football owners will both benefit greatly from his decision.
All that said, the news comes as a bit of a surprise.
In recent days, various reports have circulated suggesting Green Bay may not be so warm to bringing Cobb back if it means throwing an exorbitant amount of money at him -- that included the $10 million annually he wanted -- and apparently got. According to the Sports Xchange, that was believed to be off-limits for the Packers.
"I want him back. We all want him back. He wants to get back," head coach Mike McCarthy said at last month's NFL Scouting Combine. "But, you've got agents, and it's a negotiation. Let's see what happens."
It appears what happened is Cobb wanted to stay.
In fact, Rapoport confirmed what Gantt suggested; Cobb had six to seven offers on Saturday and turned down considerably more money elsewhere to sign with the Packers, where he felt comfortable.
Potential suitors included Jacksonville and Oakland, both of whom had more money to spend and plenty of other reasons to add a receiver of Cobb’s caliber. Other teams had been mentioned as well, of course; the Texans and Chargers were both added to the mix in recent days.
But Cobb elected to stay with the Packers, where he and Jordy Nelson can continue to catch plenty of passes from Aaron Rodgers rather than taking the money and running (as, Gantt pointed out, Greg Jennings did).
Indeed, letting Cobb go at only age 24 after his whopping 91 catches for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, would require the team to make leap of faith with a handful of unproven-but-promising younger players.
Remember, last year's draft class yielded starter-in-the-making Davante Adams in the second round and the late-round tandem of Jared Abbrederis (fifth) and Jeff Janis (seventh).
While Adams had a few breakout games, it remains to be seen what Abbrederis and Janis can bring to the offense. Janis was activated for only three games and had just two receptions. Abbrederis, a potential replacement for Cobb in the slot, missed his entire rookie season because of a knee injury.
Now those three will have less pressure in their development and the front-line guys should continue to thrive.