Getty Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has been a major thorn in the side of the Chicago Bears. Did they just do him an inadvertent favor?
Did the Chicago Bears inadvertently help Aaron Rodgers return to the Green Bay Packers? With the reigning MVP headed back to Green Bay for at least one more year, multiple analysts, including Trey Wingo and Jonathon Jones of CBS Sports, are saying that may have been the case.
Apparently, when the Bears shipped wide receiver Anthony Miller off to the Houston Texans (a move the team officially announced on July 26), it opened the doors for the Packers to check off one specific box: It may allow former Green Bay wide receiver Randall Cobb return — which is something Rodgers is rumored to want.
If Rodgers did, in fact, make this request — and there have been no signs or acknowledgments from his camp that he has — it seems like an odd wrinkle to add to contract discussions, but it’s been one wild offseason, so who knows? We’ll find out soon enough if there’s much heft to this particular rumor, but Miller could certainly fill the slot receiver role for the Texans if Cobb heads back to Green Bay.
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Where Did This Particular Rumor Start?
It started with analyst Trey Wingo, who isn’t exactly a top NFL insider.
“Hearing Rodgers coming back to GB hinging on trading for former teammate Randall Cobb. If Cobb is in Green Bay it looks like Rodgers will be too,” Wingo tweeted.
Hearing Rodgers coming back to GB hinging on trading for former teammate Randall Cobb . If Cobb is in Green Bay it looks like Rodgers will be too
Then, a second analyst chimed in, saying he heard the same thing, adding a new wrinkle:
“Aaron Rodgers absolutely wants Randall Cobb back with the Packers. Source tells me that desire set in motion the Texans trading for former Bears WR Anthony Miller over the weekend. As Rodgers compromise with GB settles, this trade should happen,” CBS Sports’ Jones said via Twitter.
As @wingoz noted, Aaron Rodgers absolutely wants Randall Cobb back with the Packers. Source tells me that desire set in motion the Texans trading for former Bears WR Anthony Miller over the weekend. As Rodgers compromise with GB settles, this trade should happen.
Woah. If this is true — and again, it’s up for debate whether it is — the Bears may have played a key role in Rodgers’ return. If Rodgers wanting Cobb back in Green Bay was the reason Houston wanted Miller, the Packers may have done the Bears a favor, as well. Miller had been the subject of trade rumors for months, with the Bears not getting any takers. Now, Chicago got a fifth-round pick in return for Miller in the trade, which isn’t bad for a player who was about to be fighting for his spot on the roster.
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Another Connection for Cobb in Green Bay Has Emerged
As it happens, Cobb has a connection to another receiver in Green Bay: rookie wide receiver Amari Rodgers. “Randall was one of the first people to reach out to him when he was drafted by the Packers,” Tee Martin, father of Amari Rodgers, told The Athletic. Martin also coached wide receivers at the University of Kentucky during the 2010 season, when Cobb was the Wildcats’ standout WR, so they know each other well.
Cobb, who inked a three-year, $27 million deal with Houston last year, would have to be traded, but now that the Texans have Miller, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, a trade could very well be coming. Miller only costs about $1.2 million this year — a huge savings for Houston.
We’ll see what happens, but if Cobb does head back to play on the Frozen Tundra, he and Rodgers may owe the Bears a bit of thanks for helping facilitate their reunion.
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