.jpg) Cobb with theGreen Bay Packers in 2011 | |||||||||||||
| No. 18 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1990-08-22)August 22, 1990 (age 35) Maryville, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 192 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Alcoa(Alcoa, Tennessee) | ||||||||||||
| College | Kentucky (2008–2010) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2011: 2nd round, 64th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Randall Ladonald Cobb II (born August 22, 1990) is an American former professionalfootballwide receiver who played 13 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theKentucky Wildcats, earningAll-American honors in 2010. Cobb was selected by theGreen Bay Packers in the second round of the2011 NFL draft. He also played one season each for theDallas Cowboys,Houston Texans, andNew York Jets.
Cobb was born to Randall Cobb Sr. and Tina Cobb. Randall Sr. worked at theDenso car parts factory inMaryville, Tennessee and also worked side jobs in the evenings, ranging from installing ceramic tile floors to mowing lawns and plowing snow, with young Randall II helping. Tina, who was a track star in high school, later worked at Denso, where she met Randall Sr.[1]
Cobb attendedAlcoa High School inAlcoa, Tennessee, where he was a letterman in football, basketball, and track.[2] Hisfootball team was a four-time State Champion in Class AA and Cobb received a "Mr. Football" trophy from theTennessee Secondary School Athletic Association.[3] At that time, Cobb played both offense and defense as well as special teams, but made his biggest impact as quarterback for the Tornadoes. Cobb was an All-Districtbasketball player as a junior, playing for Micah Marsh.
Cobb was also a track star at Alcoa. He was a four-year member of the track team, competing in sprints along with the 4 × 100 m and 4 × 200 m squads. Cobb finished third in the state meet in the100-meter dash as a senior, recording a career-best time of 10.75 seconds.[4] He was clocked at 21.89 seconds in the200-meter dash at age 16. Cobb also helped lead the Alcoa4 × 100 m relay squad to a second-place finish in the state meet as a junior.
Cobb played college football for theUniversity of Kentucky.[5] During his first year, under head coachRich Brooks, Cobb was named to the SEC All-Freshmen team at quarterback, playing in 11 games and starting four at quarterback.[6] He accounted for 11 touchdowns as a freshman – two passing, two receiving, and seven rushing.[7]
As a sophomore, Cobb played mainly wide receiver as well as a significant role in the offense/special teams returning kicks, place kick holding, receiving, and also quarterback in the"Wildcat" formation. He scored 15 touchdowns – four receiving, one returning, and 10 rushing during the 2009 season. During the season, Cobb had an eight-game streak of scoring a touchdown.[8]
As a junior, Cobb had a new head coach inJoker Phillips, who said: "He's one of the best leaders I've ever been around."[9] Cobb scored a touchdown on a punt return againstWestern Kentucky. On October 9, 2010, he scored four touchdowns against undefeated and eventual national championsAuburn, tying the Kentucky school record for career touchdowns at 32. Cobb was also the first player to score a rushing, passing, and receiving touchdown in the same game for Kentucky sinceShane Boyd in 2003.[10][11] Overall, in his junior season, Cobb finished with 84 receptions for 1,017 yards and seven touchdowns to go along with 55 carries for 424 yards and five touchdowns. He also threw for 58 yards and three touchdowns.[12] After his junior season, Cobb declared for the NFL Draft.[13]
While at Kentucky, Cobb majored in community communications andleadership development.[14]
| Season | Team | Conf | Class | Pos | GP | Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||||
| 2008 | Kentucky | SEC | FR | QB | 11 | 79 | 316 | 4.0 | 7 | 21 | 197 | 9.4 | 2 | 100 | 513 | 5.1 | 9 |
| 2009 | Kentucky | SEC | SO | WR | 12 | 94 | 573 | 6.1 | 10 | 39 | 447 | 11.5 | 4 | 133 | 1,020 | 7.7 | 14 |
| 2010 | Kentucky | SEC | JR | WR | 13 | 55 | 424 | 7.7 | 5 | 84 | 1,017 | 12.1 | 7 | 139 | 1,441 | 10.4 | 12 |
| Career | 36 | 228 | 1,313 | 5.8 | 22 | 144 | 1,661 | 11.5 | 13 | 372 | 2,974 | 8.0 | 35 | ||||
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Cobb's NFL Combine workout | |
| Cobb gets drafted by Green Bay |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+1⁄4 in (1.78 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.46 s | 1.60 s | 2.66 s | 4.34 s | 7.08 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) | 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) | 16 reps | 25[15] |
| All values are fromNFL Combine[16][17] | ||||||||||||
TheGreen Bay Packers selected Cobb in the second round (64th overall) of the2011 NFL draft.[18] Cobb was the seventh wide receiver drafted in 2011.[19]
On July 29, 2011, the Packers signed Cobb to a four-year, $3.20 million contract that included $1 million guaranteed and asigning bonus of $834,124.[20]
On September 8, 2011, in the Packers' opening game of the season against theNew Orleans Saints, Cobb became the first person born in the 1990s to play in the NFL.[21] He recorded his first NFL touchdown on a 32-yard reception in the first quarter, and followed up with a 108-yard kickoff return in the third quarter that tied the record set byEllis Hobbs of theNew England Patriots in 2007 for longest kickoff return in NFL history.[22] The return was later named Play of the Year at the season-endingNFL Honors banquet.[23][24]
In aMonday Night Football game against theMinnesota Vikings on November 14, Cobb scored his second special teams touchdown of the year on an 80-yard punt return in the first quarter.[25] With that, Cobb became the first rookie in Packers history to return both a kick and a punt for a touchdown in the same season. For the season, he caught 25 passes for 375 yards (a 15.0 average) and one touchdown. His most impressive statistics were on special teams, as he returned 34 kicks for 941 yards (a 27.7 average) and one touchdown and 26 punt returns for 295 yards (an 11.3 average) and one touchdown.[26][27]
Cobb made his playoff debut in theDivisional Round against theNew York Giants. He had three receptions for 38 yards in the 37–20 loss.[28]
In Week 6, against theHouston Texans, Cobb had seven receptions for 102 yards for his first career 100-yard game in the 42–24 victory.[29] In the 2012 season, he played in 15 games including eight starts. Cobb led the team in receptions with 80 and receiving yards with 954 and was second on the team with eight touchdowns.[30] He set a single-season franchise record with 2,342 combined net yards—954 receiving, 132 rushing, 964 on kickoff returns (a 25.4 average), and 292 on punt returns (a 9.4 average) including one touchdown.[31][32] Cobb led the NFL in that category.[33] He was named aPro Bowl first alternate as a kick returner.[26]
In 2013, Cobb was limited to six games (including four starts) due to a broken fibula injury suffered in Week 6 against theBaltimore Ravens.[34] He returned to play in the regular season finale against theChicago Bears atSoldier Field. He caught a memorable 48-yard game-winning touchdown pass fromAaron Rodgers late in the fourth quarter to win theNFC North title for the Packers.[26][35] He finished with 31 receptions for 433 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.[36][37]
In Week 4, Cobb had seven receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns in a 38–17 victory over the Bears.[38] Three weeks later against theCarolina Panthers, he had six receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown in the 38–17 victory.[39] In the next game against the Saints, Cobb had five receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown during the 44–23 loss.[40] In Week 11, he had season-highs with 10 receptions and 129 receiving yards against thePhiladelphia Eagles.[41] During Week 16 against theTampa Bay Buccaneers, Cobb had 11 receptions for 131 yards in the 20–3 victory.[42] On January 19, he was named as a replacement forDez Bryant in the Pro Bowl.[43]
Cobb finished the season with 91 receptions for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns. He had a six-game touchdown streak and had five games going over 100 yards on the year.[44] The Packers finished with a 12–4 record and earned a first-round bye as the #2-seed in the NFC.[45] In theDivisional Round, against theDallas Cowboys, Cobb had eight receptions for 116 yards during the 26–21 victory.[46] In theNFC Championship Game against theSeattle Seahawks, he had seven receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown during the 28–22 overtime road loss.[47] Cobb was ranked as the 100th best player in the NFL by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2014.[48]
On March 7, 2015, the Packers signed Cobb to a four-year, $40 million contract with a signing bonus of $13 million.[49][20] After signing the deal, Cobb explained his thought process by saying: "At the end of the day, my heart was in Green Bay, and I knew that's where I wanted to be. 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."[50] Cobb also mentioned that the NFC Championship loss to theSeattle Seahawks still bothered him. "Obviously, that loss still hurts. It still feels fresh. I want to win a championship, and we were right there. We were close. We didn't do what we needed to do to win, but we have a lot of the guys coming back this year, same guys. A lot of our core guys, and we believe that puts us in the mix. So we have to handle business this offseason as far as continuing to get better on a daily basis. Obviously, next season, we have to put ourselves in position to go on a run."[50]
In 2015, Cobb had one of his best seasons as teammateJordy Nelson went down with an ACL in the preseason.[51] In Week 2, against the Seahawks, he had eight receptions for 116 yards in the 27–17 victory.[52] In the following game, Cobb had three receiving touchdowns in the 38–28 victory over theKansas City Chiefs.[53] In Week 13, during the"Miracle in Motown" win, Cobb recovered aJames Starks fumble to give the Packers their first touchdown of the game to make the score 20–7 in favor of theDetroit Lions. The Packers would win 27–23 after a Rodgers to Rodgers Hail Mary.[54]
Cobb finished the season with 79 receptions for 829 yards and six touchdowns.[55] During theWild Card Round against theWashington Redskins, he scored a receiving touchdown in the 35–18 road victory.[56]
On September 16, 2016, Cobb was fined $9,115 for pulling the face mask of linebackerPaul Posluszny in Week 1 against theJacksonville Jaguars.[57] Cobb finished the season with 60 receptions on 84 targets for 610 yards and four touchdowns.[58] In theWild Card Round against the Giants, Cobb had five receptions for 116 yards and three touchdowns, including catching a 42-yard Hail Mary from Aaron Rodgers at the end of the second quarter.[59][60]
In the 2017 season, Cobb finished with 66 receptions for 653 yards and four touchdowns despite losing starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers.[61] For the first time in his professional career, the Packers finished with a 7–9 record and did not make the playoffs.[62][63]
On September 9, 2018, Cobb caught nine passes for 142 yards and a touchdown in the season-opener against the Bears. He recorded a career-long 75-yard touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter to give the Packers the go-ahead score in the 24–23 victory. This game marked his 15th career game with at least 100 receiving yards.[64] After two games with four receptions each, Cobb suffered a hamstring injury and missed the next five weeks, appearing for limited duty in Week 8 and Week 9 (for a total of nine receptions).[65] Overall, he finished the 2018 season with 38 receptions for 383 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[66]
On March 19, 2019, the Cowboys signed Cobb to a one-year, $5 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $2 million, to be the team's slot wide receiver.[67] Cobb caught his first touchdown with the Cowboys in the first week of the 2019 season with 9:48 left in the third quarter in their home opener against the Giants. Cobb finished the game with four catches for 69 yards and a touchdown in the 35–17 win.[68]
In Week 10 against the Vikings onSunday Night Football, Cobb caught six passes for 106 yards and a touchdown in the 28–24 loss.[69] During Week 11 against the Lions, Cobb finished with four receptions for 115 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys won 35–27.[70] Overall, Cobb finished the 2019 season with 55 receptions for 828 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[71]
On April 1, 2020, theHouston Texans signed Cobb to a three-year, $27 million contract that included $18 million guaranteed and asigning bonus of $6 million.[72][73][20] He was brought in to be the team's slot wide receiver and help the team offset the loss ofDeAndre Hopkins.
In Week 3 against thePittsburgh Steelers, Cobb caught four passes for 95 yards and his first touchdown reception as a Texan during the 28–21 loss.[74] In Week 7 against his former team, the Packers, Cobb recorded eight catches for 95 yards during the 35–20 loss.[75] He was placed on injured reserve on November 25, 2020, after suffering a toe injury in Week 11.[76] Cobb finished the 2020 season with 38 receptions for 441 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[77]
.jpg)
On July 28, 2021, the Packers traded for Cobb at the request of his close friend and former teammate, Aaron Rodgers.[78] Houston traded the rights to Cobb – and most of his salary obligations – to the Packers in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.[79] He sustained an injury on a touchdown catch during a Week 12 win over theLos Angeles Rams, and was deemed questionable to return to the game. He was placed on injured reserve on December 11.[80] Head coach Matt LaFleur announced on January 19 that he had been cleared to return for the Packers'Divisional Round playoff game against theSan Francisco 49ers where they lost on a last second field goal.[81] Cobb finished the 2021 season with 28 receptions for 375 yards and five touchdowns.[82]
On October 22, 2022, Cobb was placed on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury in Week 6.[83] On November 17, 2022, Cobb was activated from injured reserve.[84] In the 2022 season, Cobb appeared in 13 games and started three. He finished with 34 receptions for 417 yards and a touchdown.[85]
On May 3, 2023, Cobb signed with theNew York Jets, following Aaron Rodgers to his new team.[86] Cobb was placed on the Active/physically unable to perform list on July 19, 2023.[87] He scored his lone touchdown of the season in Week 14 against the Texans.[88]
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2011 | GB | 15 | 0 | 25 | 375 | 15.0 | 61 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2012 | GB | 15 | 8 | 80 | 954 | 11.9 | 39 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| 2013 | GB | 6 | 4 | 31 | 433 | 14.0 | 48 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | GB | 16 | 16 | 91 | 1,287 | 14.1 | 70 | 12 | 3 | 2 |
| 2015 | GB | 16 | 15 | 79 | 829 | 10.5 | 53 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | GB | 13 | 10 | 60 | 610 | 10.2 | 47 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | GB | 15 | 14 | 66 | 653 | 9.9 | 46 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | GB | 9 | 6 | 38 | 383 | 10.1 | 75 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2019 | DAL | 15 | 6 | 55 | 828 | 15.1 | 59 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2020 | HOU | 10 | 2 | 38 | 441 | 11.6 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | GB | 12 | 3 | 28 | 375 | 13.4 | 54 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | GB | 13 | 3 | 34 | 417 | 12.3 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | NYJ | 11 | 1 | 5 | 39 | 7.8 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 166 | 88 | 630 | 7,624 | 12.1 | 75 | 54 | 19 | 9 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2011 | GB | 1 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 12.7 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | GB | 2 | 2 | 6 | 31 | 5.2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2013 | GB | 1 | 1 | 2 | 51 | 25.5 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | GB | 2 | 2 | 15 | 178 | 11.9 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2015 | GB | 2 | 2 | 3 | 38 | 12.7 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | GB | 3 | 3 | 18 | 260 | 14.4 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | GB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 12 | 10 | 47 | 596 | 12.7 | 42 | 5 | 2 | 2 | |
On July 18, 2024, Cobb announced that he joined theSEC Network as a studio analyst.[89] The same day, Cobb stated that he would be willing to return to playing football if the right opportunity arises.[90]
Cobb and his wife, Aiyda, have two sons, Caspian and Cade.[91] Cobb made his longtime NFL teammate, Aaron Rodgers, thegodfather of Cade.[91]
In August 2023, it was announced that Cobb's wife was pregnant with their third child.[92] Son Chance was born in 2024.
Cobb is the cousin of NFL playersShannon Mitchell andBilly Williams.[93]
