GREEN BAY, Wis. – We may never know which teams pursued receiver Randall Cobb before he re-signed with the Green Bay Packers just before the start of free agency, but we now know how many called his agent, Jimmy Sexton, with offers.
"As far as I know, it was five," Cobb said on a conference call Tuesday morning. "There were five that I know of, and I think there was another one after I told Jimmy on Saturday morning that I wanted to focus on being back in Green Bay and not worry about anything else."
At least a couple of those offers were more lucrative that than four-year, $40 million deal Cobb agreed to with the Packers late Saturday night and officially signed on Monday.
Cobb said the money from other teams made the decision difficult.
"You thought about those, the income that you could make, but at the end of the day my heart was in Green Bay, and I knew that's where I wanted to be," Cobb said. "I knew I had a good thing going for me, and still I signed a pretty lucrative deal that I can handle as far as making that last for the rest of my life."
Although the exact breakdown of the contract, including signing bonuses and guaranteed money, was not yet available, it is expected to make Cobb the team's highest-paid offensive player other than quarterback Aaron Rodgers, even surpassing Jordy Nelson.
Last July, Nelson, the Packers' top receiver, signed a four-year, $39 million contract extension. Nelson caught 98 passes for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, while Cobb had 91 catches for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns.
So who's the Packers' No. 1 receiver?
"I mean, that's up for you all to decide," Cobb said. "I don't think me or Jordy, either one of us, really care who you consider No. 1. We know we're going to go play. We know we're going to do the best we can. We're going to help put this team in the best position we can, regardless of who’s catching balls, who’s scoring touchdowns, we’re all about winning.”