Randall Cobb’s retirement highlights his subtle greatness (and a current Packers compensation)

On Thursday, longtime Green Bay Packers receiver Randall Cobb announced his retirement. The 13-year slot receiver, who spent 10 of those seasons in Green Bay, decided to hang up his boots after catching just five passes for 39 yards last season. While Cobb wasn’t productive in his final year, that doesn’t take away from his success with the Packers.

Cobb never had elite numbers, but he was efficient. He had over 800 yards receiving in 2012, 2014 and 2015. He always seemed like he would make the big play in the clutch, even in games where he wasn’t the primary target. Cobb was always at his best with the Chicago Bears.

The 2016 NFC Wild Card round against the New York Giants is the game that stands out the most in Cobb’s career. He had five receptions for 116 yards and three touchdowns in Green Bay’s 38-13 blowout of the Giants.

Cobb didn’t make many catches in this game. Davante Adams made eight grabs for 125 yards as the leading receiver. However, when he made a catch, he made a big play.

The first came late in the first half. With Green Bay up 7-6, Aaron Rodgers launched a Hail Mary to extend the lead. Cobb made a sliding catch in the back of the end zone to give the Packers a touchdown and a 14-6 lead with no time left in the first half.

His next big play came late in the third quarter. Rodgers hit him on a post route, and he ran 30 yards for the score to give the Packers a 21-13 lead.

Cobb’s last big play came midway through the fourth quarter. Rodgers threw the ball to the back of the end zone on third-and-three from New York’s 16-yard line. Cobb went up and made a great hand play to make the catch and extend Green Bay’s lead to 31-13. It proved to be the final blow.

Cobb was vital to Green Bay’s offense in the 2010s. Because of his size and build, he wouldn’t have been the most sought-after receiver on the field, but he maximized his opportunities and turned them into big plays.

Any team would want him because he was so reliable. Cobb was not selfish, never held out for a bigger contract and was a great presence in the locker room.

If there’s anyone on the current Packers whose game most closely resembles his, it’s Bo Melton.

Cobb and Melton have similar builds. Cobb is 5’10” and weighs about 190 lbs. Melton is 5’11” and weighs 189 lbs. Cobb was never too fast or quick, but he always ran his routes accurately and was physical with defenders.

Melton also had a rookie year similar to Cobb’s. In 2011, Cobb had 25 receptions for 375 yards and one touchdown. Last year, Melton had 16 grabs for 218 yards and a score.

Cobb may have had nine more catches and 157 more yards, but they had similar yards-per-catch averages (Cobb had 15 yards/rec to Melton’s 13.6 yards/rec). The only difference between their rookie seasons is that Cobb had Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball to him in his career-best season, and Melton had Jordan Love throwing it to him in his first season as a starter.

While Melton’s career may not pan out like Cobb’s, it does underscore how successful Randall Cobb’s career was overall, considering his physique and ability.

Any player who could possibly be like him will have similar success on the field because he did exactly what players are taught to do: build relationships with your teammates on and off the field to create chemistry and give your best effort on every play. He followed those rules and his career spoke for itself.