Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Packers sign Cook/ Saints sign Fairley
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InvaderRam.
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March 28, 2016 at 9:37 am #41127
znModeratorPackers to sign tight end Jared Cook
Conor Orr
top the presses: Green Bay has ventured into the free-agent market.
The Packers are expected to sign veteran tight end Jared Cook, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. Cook, who is in Green Bay at the moment taking a physical on a deal that was agreed to last week, would contest for the No. 1 spot on the team’s depth chart and provide a consistent receiving threat for Aaron Rodgers.
Despite the fact that tight end Richard Rodgers was second on the team in receptions last year with 58 (for 510 yards and eight touchdowns), Green Bay was hoping for some additional help to open up the middle of the field. Andrew Quarless played in just five games last year before landing on injured reserve. He is currently a free agent.
Cook, 28, comes to Green Bay after three solid seasons in St. Louis. Since 2013, Cook logged 142 catches for 1,786 yards and eight touchdowns. The former Titan was a third-round draft pick back in 2009.
We made a joke about the Packers in free agency at the beginning of this post and hope it was taken that way. For anyone who follows along on Twitter, we were excited about a piece by the Acme Packing Co. about Ted Thompson in free agency, and why he takes far more flack than he deserves. The Packers are a homegrown organization and prefer to operate that way. The post does a nice job of explaining why.
What Thompson does do is linger in free agency and strike when the time is right. Richard Rodgers is a good tight end, but pairing him with a quick, rangy, vertical player can only make him better. The Packers suffered at times last year due to their struggle to find consistent, reliable help.
Cook should go a little ways toward fixing that problem.
March 28, 2016 at 10:06 am #41129znModeratorIan Rapoport @RapSheet
Nick Fairley chose the #Saints over offers from the #Patriots and #Texans. With a 1-year deal, no question he’ll be motivated. Solid move.March 28, 2016 at 10:53 am #41138
WinnbradParticipantMarch 28, 2016 at 12:47 pm #41142znModeratorJared Cook opts for Green Bay over Carolina, Atlanta, Chicago
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15082273/jared-cook-sign-contract-green-bay-packers
Jared Cook could be the pass-catching threat Mike McCarthy wants down the middle of the field, and the Packers’ interest in Cook dates back to last year when they tried to acquire him before the trade deadline, Rob Demovsky writes.
Cook agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million contract, sources told ESPN. He signed the deal after passing a physical Monday, a source told ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky.
The Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears also had interest in the 28-year-old, sources told ESPN, but he opted to join Green Bay and its offense led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers made an offer to Cook during his visit March 14, a source told Demovsky. Green Bay also pursued Cook last season before the trade deadline.
Cook, who signed a five-year, $35 million deal with the Rams as a free agent in 2013, was a casualty of Los Angeles’ purge on Feb. 19, when the team cut him along with veterans James Laurinaitis and Chris Long. Keeping Cook would have carried an $8.3 million cap hit.
He posted 142 receptions for 1,786 yards and eight touchdowns while playing with multiple quarterbacks in his three seasons with the Rams, including 39 catches for 481 yards in 2015.
Prior to arriving in St. Louis, the 6-foot-5 Cook played four seasons with the Tennessee Titans after being selected in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. Cook, who will turn 29 next month, has 273 receptions for 3,503 yards and 16 touchdowns in 107 career games.
March 28, 2016 at 12:48 pm #41143znModeratorSaints sign ex-Rams DT Nick Fairley
Former Rams defensive tackle Nick Fairley has signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints.
Nick Fairley had several suitors after his 2015 stint with the Rams, and now the Saints have signed him to another one-year “prove it” deal. By landing Fairley, upgrading the defensive tackle position goes from a “must” to a want for New Orleans.
The deal is for $3 million and includes incentives that could raise its value to $5 million, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Fairley came to the Rams on a one-year deal in 2015 in hopes that he would play well enough to land a big-money, long-term contract.
The 28-year-old Fairley is a disruptive 3-technique tackle, one of two positions that Saints coach Sean Payton listed as a “must” last week during the NFL owners meetings. The Saints used veteran Kevin Williams as their starter at the 3-technique last year, but he remains unsigned this offseason.
The New Orleans defense ranked last in the NFL last season in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed. It set NFL records for most touchdown passes allowed in a season and highest opponents’ passer rating. The Saints have added former Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis in free agency to become the “quarterback” of their defense.
Nick Fairley finished with 29 tackles, a half-sack and a fumble recovery in 15 games for the Rams last season. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
They will have to clear out salary-cap space to fit in Fairley’s new deal, since the franchise had under $300,000 in cap room to start the week.Fairley drew interest from a handful of teams, including the New England Patriots.
Last year, Fairley worked as the primary backup to Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers, getting most of his opportunities on third down. He finished with 29 tackles, a half-sack and a fumble recovery in 15 games.
Fairley was a first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2011 NFL draft. He had 13.5 sacks in four seasons in Detroit.
March 28, 2016 at 2:43 pm #41147
InvaderRamModeratorif jared cook goes on and has a 1000 yard season with green bay i’ll vomit.
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This reply was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by InvaderRam.
March 28, 2016 at 4:20 pm #41158
nittany ramModeratorif jared cook goes on and has a 1000 yard season with green bay i’ll vomit.
Apparently teams value measurables over performance. When they see Cook they see his size and speed and the length of his arms but fail to see the drops. Often those drops have cost the Rams games. Cook has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory more than once with his inconsistency.
Or maybe they think they can ‘fix’ him. Even though this is a pattern established over 7 seasons so I doubt it’s fixable.
March 28, 2016 at 4:41 pm #41159znModeratorOr maybe they think they can ‘fix’ him. Even though this is a pattern established over 7 seasons so I doubt it’s fixable.
Yeah coaches are big “fixers.” They believe they can do it. And maybe being in the spotlight in GB, where JC would be a down the rung role player and not a presumed leader (as he was in ST.L) might set things up for him to do better.
March 28, 2016 at 5:41 pm #41169znModeratorCook, Fairley find new homes in free agency
Jim Thomas
Tight end Jared Cook and defensive tackle Nick Fairley became the sixth and seventh Rams from the 2015 squad to sign elsewhere in free agency.
Cook has agreed to terms with the Green Bay Packers; Fairley has signed with New Orleans where he’ll be reunited with another ex-Ram, middle linebacker James Laurinaitis.
Cook was released Feb. 19, three years into a five-year, $35.1 million deal with the Rams. Although he never played up to that contract in St. Louis, he was either first or second in receptions and reception yards on the team all three seasons.
But after catching 50-plus passes in each of his first two seasons, Cook caught only 39 passes (in 75 targets) in 2015. Inconsistent play and so-so hands characterized his time in St. Louis. Despite his release, the Rams gave Green Bay a good report on Cook earlier this offseason according to league sources.
In his only season with the Rams, Fairley served as the team’s third defensive tackle in a rotation behind starters Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers. After playing sparingly over the first month of the 2015 season, Fairley’s playing time increased to where he was on the field for about half of the team’s defensive reps over a 10-game stretch from the Green Bay game Oct. 11 through the Tampa Bay contest Dec. 17.
He suffered a concussion early against Seattle in Game 15 and was placed on the injured reserve list prior to the season finale against San Francisco. The Rams had been interested in re-signing Fairley, but only at the right price.
The deals for Cook and Fairley are both for one year. According to NFL Network, Cook’s deal is worth $3.6 million although it’s not known if that figure is inflated by incentives.
Of the 21 Rams who were either unrestricted free agents, restricted free agents, or released players this offseason, only three remain unsigned (or without tenders): kicker Greg Zuerlein, wide receiver Wes Welker, and running back/special teamer Chase Reynolds.
March 29, 2016 at 4:49 pm #41206InvaderRamModeratorif jared cook goes on and has a 1000 yard season with green bay i’ll vomit.
Apparently teams value measurables over performance. When they see Cook they see his size and speed and the length of his arms but fail to see the drops. Often those drops have cost the Rams games. Cook has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory more than once with his inconsistency.
Or maybe they think they can ‘fix’ him. Even though this is a pattern established over 7 seasons so I doubt it’s fixable.
i’m mostly joking but thompson and mccarthy seem to be pretty competent. probably won’t happen but it’d hurt if they could get out of cook what the rams could not.
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