Randall Cobb's asking price isn't scaring off the Packers just yet.
General manager Ted Thompson said Thursday, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that he's still hopeful of reaching a deal to keep the NFL's premier slot receiver in Green Bay.
"We're working on several different levels with several different people," Thompson said. "We say the same thing every year, we mean it. It's not a secret that we try to keep and maintain our own guys as much as possible. We feel like that's a good investment for the organization. We feel like, especially, if we have good people like we do, we'd like to do that. We're trying to do that with Randall."
Thompson went through a similar situation with cornerback Sam Shields last year, only to strike a lucrative new deal just hours before the onset of free agency.
Coach Mike McCarthy professed his "love" for Cobb on Thursday.
"I want him back, we all want him back, he wants to get back. But you've got agents and it's a negotiation. Let's see what happens," McCarthy added. "... He's a four-down player, that's what you want. Smart player, great guy, he's a Packer."
McCarthy couldn't have made his feelings any clearer. Now it's up to the financial wizards to find common ground.
While it's true that Aaron Rodgers makes his receivers better, the Packers have watched Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jermichael Finley and James Jones walk out the door over the past few years.
If Cobb follows suit, the greenhorn wide receiver corps could hold back a roster that is otherwise strong enough to contend for a Super Bowl.
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