Packers Receiving Trade Interest In Cobb
The Packers have received trade interest in wide receiver Randall Cobb, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, the Packers are not shopping him and expect him to be a contributor for them this season. 
At one point this offseason, Cobb’s spot on the team was in jeopardy. However, the Packers opted to cut fellow wide receiver Jordy Nelson instead, saving them $10.2MM against the cap. Cobb’s contract, and his $12.72MM cap hit, remain on the books.
Cobb has been a major producer in the Packers’ offense for a long time, but he is coming off of two straight down years. In 2016, he missed three games and finished out with 60 catches, 610 yards, and four touchdowns. Last year, he put up a 66/653/4 line while missing only one game, though many of those contests were played without the services of Aaron Rodgers. His performances over the last two seasons are a world away from his career-high 1,287 receiving yards in 2014, or even his 800+ yard showing in 2015.
This year, Cobb figures to serve as the Packers’ WR2 behind Davante Adams and ahead of Geronimo Allison.
Latest On Aaron Rodgers Extension Talks
The Packers are reportedly “creeping along towards a deal” with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and Rodgers himself recently sounded confident an extension will get hammered out.
“I don’t think they would want to nickel and dime me, and I’m not trying to screw them,” Rodgers told Wilde and Tausch on ESPN Wisconsin (link via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “This is a partnership. That’s the only way this is going to work, and the best way things work in this situation is we’re in this together. If they make that financial commitment, that’s what they’re saying. And also there’s an expectation I’m going to play well, and that’s my side of the bargain.”
Rodgers, 34, is currently signed through the 2019 season, with cap charges north of $20MM in each of the next two campaigns. On an annual average basis, though, Rodgers’ $22MM/year now ranks just 10th among quarterbacks, behind the likes of Joe Flacco, Alex Smith, and Derek Carr, among others.
Previous reports had indicated Rodgers may prefer a contract with a complicated structure, one that perhaps contains multiple opt-outs or a salary tied to a percentage of the NFL’s salary cap. However, Rodgers told the ESPN host he doesn’t “know how feasible that is,” so a new deal may simply have a traditional construction, which the Packers reportedly prefer.
Packers, Clay Matthews Have Discussed Extension
The Packers have discussed an extension with edge rusher Clay Matthews, according to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
“My agency and upstairs have had talks,” Matthews said. “We’ll see where it goes. At the same time, I’ll just go out there and do my things and let the pieces fall where they may. “I’ve been here going on 10 years, so I’d like to obviously add a few more to that. I’m not in control of that. All I can control is what I do on Sundays, and hopefully it’s a big year.”
Matthews, 32, is in the final season of a five-year, $66MM extension he signed in April 2013. Next year, he’s scheduled to earn a base salary of $10.4MM and count for roughly $11.338MM on Green Bay’s salary cap. A new deal for Matthews could reduce his 2018 cap figure, especially if it contains a signing bonus that would prorate over the life of the pact.
As Matthews has aged, the Packers have reduced his snaps. Over the past two years, Matthews averaged only 566 snaps per season; conversely, from 2012-15, he saw action on 801 plays per year. That reduced usage may have helped Matthews’ play, as he graded as the NFL’s No. 22 pass rusher last season, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned Matthews his best marks since the 2012 campaign.
Packers Remove Nick Perry From PUP List
Nick Perry returned to Packers practice on Sunday. The team took the starting outside linebacker off the PUP list.
He’d missed Green Bay’s offseason program — a pivotal one for Packer defenders due to Mike Pettine implementing a new defensive scheme — with an ankle injury. Perry underwent offseason surgery to correct his damaged ankle, according to the Associated Press.
It’s uncertain if the seventh-year veteran will play in the Packers’ final two preseason games, but he expects to be ready by the time Green Bay takes the field for its Week 1 assignment. He doesn’t seem too concerned about getting up to speed in Pettine’s defense, either.
“We’re at a point where I don’t have a choice,” Perry said, via the AP. “I think I’ll be fine, ultimately. My body is in good shape to handle a (work) load like that. So it’s just a matter of me getting into practice and fully getting a whole practice under my belt and continue to stack those days.”
Ankle, foot, shoulder and hand maladies bothered Perry last season. He suffered a broken hand during the 2017 campaign and missed four games of the most disappointing Packers season in over a decade.
The Packers are counting on Perry to return to his 2016 form, when he registered a career-high 11 sacks. He still collected seven last season, despite the various injuries. Green Bay did not make any high-profile edge additions this offseason, and the Perry-Clay Matthews duo will return as the team’s primary pass-rushing presences.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/19/18
Here are today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DL Tenny Palepoi
- Waived/injured: P Cory Carter
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Jason Reese
- Waived/injured: WR Fred Ross
Detroit Lions
- Signed: S Marcus Cromartie
- Waived/injured: S Stefan McClure
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Bronson Hill
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed off waivers: DT Adam Reth
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/18
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on non-football injury list: WR Josh Gordon
- Signed: TE Stephen Baggett, DL Blaine Woodson
- Waived: DB Micah Hannemann
- Waived/injured: TE Julian Allen
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB LeShun Daniels
- Waived from injured reserve: LB C.J. Johnson
- Placed on reserve/retired list: RB Akeem Judd
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Kyle Coleman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Darius Prince
- Waived: DT Adam Reth
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived from injured reserve: TE Donnie Ernsberger
Washington Redskins
- Signed: OL Kendall Calhoun, DB Darius Hillary, WR Allenzae Staggers
- Waived: LB Jeff Knox, DL Jalen Wilkerson
- Waived/injured: RB Martez Carter
Packers Progressing On Aaron Rodgers Deal
More progress regarding the biggest contract in NFL history is taking place as the regular season nears. The Packers are “creeping along towards a deal,” with Aaron Rodgers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). “Both sides” are motivated to finish this deal, Schefter adds. 
This follows a report earlier this month that indicated the sides were moving closer to a historic agreement, and Schefter confirms it will indeed be the most lucrative contract an NFL player has ever signed.
The type of extension Rodgers would sign has been one of the sticking points in this months-long process, with reports the 34-year-old quarterback wanted a deal that provided him more flexibility. At the same time, the Packers, understandably, were in favor of a more traditional type of re-up – similar to the five-year deal Matt Ryan signed earlier this year.
It’s unclear if the parties are progressing along the lines of a usual mega-extension – Rodgers is tied to a five-year deal presently – or one that affords the future Hall of Famer player options down the road in order to keep up with the escalating quarterback market. But with three weeks to go until the regular season opens, signs are pointing to a Rodgers deal having a strong chance of being completed by the time he suits up for his 14th season.
Boyle Could Threaten Kizer, Hundley?
- Speaking of NFC North backup quarterback battles, there’s one raging in Green Bay. Although most have assumed the competition is between bigger names DeShone Kizer and Brett Hundley, undrafted rookie free agent Tim Boyle is in the race, according to Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com. It would still be shocking, but it would be a great story if Boyle were able to come out on top.
Geronimo Allison Likely Packers' No. 3 WR
- Geronimo Allison has “quietly established himself” as the Packers‘ No. 3 receiver behind Davante Adams and Randall Cobb, as Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette writes. Green Bay used three Day 3 draft picks on receivers, adding J’Mon Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Equanimeous St. Brown in the process, while futures contract signee Jake Kumerow has also shined during training camp. But it’s the 24-year-old Allison, who landed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2016, who is likely to play in three-wide sets. Allison, who would play on the outside and allow Cobb to move to the slot in “11” personnel, put up 23 receptions and 253 yards in 2017.
Packers GM Discusses Cole Madison
The Packers selected Washington State offensive guard Cole Madison in the fifth round of this past year’s draft. However, the rookie has sat on the did not report list and hasn’t attended training camp. While his absence isn’t encouraging, general manager Brian Gutekunst is confident that he’ll be able to contribute eventually.