Randall Cobb eager to help Aaron Rodgers elevate Jets any way he can: ‘Fill some voids’

Randall Cobb eager to help Aaron Rodgers elevate Jets any way he can: ‘Fill some voids’

No one knows better than Randall Cobb what makes Aaron Rodgers tick, as a quarterback, and as a man.

They were Packers together for 10 seasons, with a short hiatus when Cobb left for two seasons to play for Dallas and Houston, Rodgers lobbied the front office for his return to Green Bay in 2021. When Rodgers left Green Bay to begin his new life as Savior, New York Jets, he wanted Cobb alongside him for the ride.

No one knows better than Cobb why the Jets and their long-suffering fan base should be doing Lambeau Leaps of joy that Aaron Rodgers is now their quarterback.

“You pick up on the little things that makes him so special,” Cobb said at Jets organized team activities. “Obviously his ability to throw the ball, but his operation pre-snap, the things he’s able to do and manipulate defenses, his calling the play in the huddle and getting everybody lined up accordingly, being able to assess if a guy is motioning and someone else is moving, and getting everybody set … It’s just the little things like that, that really makes him different. … The operation’s so much easier.”

No one knows better than Cobb why Rodgers’ new teammates and coaches will embrace him.


JetsRandall Cobb rides the bike with Aaron Rodgers at Jets OTAs.Duncan Williams/CSM/Shutterstock

“He’s one of the most special individuals that I’ve been around,” Cobb said. “He’s very caring. He’s very knowledgeable. He puts in the time and effort to learn about things. He’s not just gonna do what people tell him, he’s gonna ask why. He’s gonna learn. He’s very thoughtful.

“I had a birthday party for my son, his godson [Cade], and he flies in for a 3-year-old’s birthday party. That’s the type of person that he is, that’s the type of relationship that we have, and I’m very thankful for the man he is.”

Rodgers was a groomsman at Cobb’s 2017 wedding at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan and attended Cobb’s 2016 graduation ceremony at the University of Kentucky.

“He’s a highly motivated person,” Cobb said. “He has intrinsic motivation. He wants to be the best, he’s always talked about that.”

These will be Legacy Games, and this will be a Legacy Season for Rodgers in New York.

“What he’s done, he’s already cemented who he is,” Cobb said.”I think all you can do is elevate it at this point.”

Cobb, Rodgers’ trusted slot receiver, is thrilled that he will get to help his dear friend elevate it.

“A simple head nod or hand gesture, I know exactly what he’s thinking,” Cobb said. “And I understand what he expects.”

What Rodgers expects is the same commitment to excellence that he expects of himself. Cobb will serve as Rodgers’ lieutenant, spreading the offense’s gospel to Garrett Wilson and company.

“A new scheme for some, but a familiar one to myself,” Cobb said. “We’ve got a great receiving room here, a lot of talent, and I think the big thing is just helping them get up to speed with the way things are done in this system and the detail that’s expected from the receiver room.”


CobbRandall Cobbs speaks with the media at Jets campNoah K. Murray-NY Post

Of course when E.F. Rodgers talks, people listen. Every bit as much as when head coach Robert Saleh or offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett talk. Perhaps even more.

“It’s great to see some of these young guys with their eyes open, their ears open, just taking in all the coaching they can,” Cobb said.

Cobb has seen in Wilson hints of former elite Packers receiver Davante Adams.

“His movement pattern, you can see some of that. … Garrett has some ability like that,” Cobb said.

Cobb will turn 33 in August. Of his 53 career touchdown catches, 35 have come in the red zone.


JetsRandall Cobb works out at Jets camp.Noah K. Murray-NY Post

“I think that I can fill some voids,” he said. “I know this isn’t the prime of my career, but I do think I still got a lot left in the tank. I’m not playing 90, 100 percent of the snaps like I used to in my career, but the 40, 50 percent that I am playing, I’m very efficient in that time, especially on third down in the red zone. Obviously having that understanding, and being able to help out in critical moments. I’m excited. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

He is happy that his friend seems genuinely happy in a place that no one — not Taylor Swift — has ever confused with Green Bay.

“Green Bay is an amazing place, but you can’t go to Broadway and go watch a show — there is no Broadway,” Cobb said, and smiled.

No Broadway Joe for too long. Only one No. 12 here.

“Obviously when he put the helmet on, it looks a little different,” Cobb said of Rodgers. “The 8 is a little different. I’m used to calling him 12.”


Randall Cobb and Aaron Rodgers following the Packers' loss to the Lions in January 2023.
Randall Cobb and Aaron Rodgers following the Packers’ loss to the Lions in January 2023.Getty Images

The Packers drafted Cobb the spring after Rodgers won his one and only Super Bowl (XLV over the Steelers). They walked off Lambeau Field together, Rodgers’ arm around his friend, after last season ended without a chance for them to compete for the Super Bowl.

“I knew that that was gonna be the last time that both of us together would walk off the field,” Cobb said.

Reunited, and it feels so good. For Aaron Rodgers, for Randall Cobb and for green-and-white New York.