GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Last week, when the Washington Redskins signed tight end Vernon Davis, I posed a question on Twitter to Green Bay Packers fans: Would you have rather had Davis or Jared Cook?
You can see the responses by checking the mentions under that Tweet, which can be found here, but the overwhelming response was Cook.
Now that the details of Davis’ contract have been posted, it’s clear it was a reasonable comparison. Both signed one-year contracts with their new teams. Cook’s deal with the Packers is worth $2.75 million. Davis’ contract with the Redskins is worth $2.4 million.
Cook received an $825,000 signing bonus, while Davis got $500,000 up front. Cook’s base salary is $1.42 million, while Davis’ base is $1.35 million. However, nearly half ($600,000) of Davis’ base salary is fully guaranteed. Cook’s roster bonuses total up to $475,000, while Davis can earn up to $450,000. Cook has a $25,000 workout bonus, while Davis has a $100,000 workout bonus.
So why was Cook such a better choice for the Packers?
He’s more than three years younger than Davis, who turned 32 in January. Cook turns 29 on Thursday. Davis hasn’t been much of a deep threat since 2013. The last two years, he’s averaged just 10.0 yards per catch, well down from his career best of 16.3 in 2013. In nine games after he was traded to the Broncos during the middle of last season, he caught just 20 passes for 201 yards and no touchdowns.
Cook is just one year removed from a 52-catch season with the Rams, where he never had consistent quarterback play. Cook said he wanted to play with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, so it will be interesting to see what kind of impact he can have now that he's with a top-tier passer.