It was just a year ago that I was writing about the Packers making a nice signing in adding Jared Cook to their offense. Cook was actually a disappointment for much of the season, but he stepped up late to be a key contributor. When talks to return reportedly broke down, I was ready to criticize Ted Thompson.
But it sounds like Cook was at fault in that relationship ending, and the Packers went out and got an upgrade anyway. Over the last five seasons Bennett has more catches than Cook in each of them. Only once did Cook finish with more yards. Bennett caught twice as many touchdowns (26-13) in those five seasons, as well.
Various reports indicate Green Bay offered Cook more money than Bennett before talks broke off. If true, it's a heckuva misstep by Cook, since he's not going to get more money from any team than Bennett got from the Packers (3 years, $21 million).
About the only negative I can see is that something about Bennett must rub teams the wrong way. He's a bit of a character, with all that "black unicorn" stuff a while back. The Packers will be his fifth team since 2011. The Giants, Bears and now Patriots have all parted ways with him with little apparent remorse. Green Bay also signed Lance Kendricks yesterday, although his presence probably will have a bigger effect on Richard Rodgers.
In any case, Bennett's a capable tight end, and although he's seemingly been around forever, he and Cook are almost exactly the same age (Bennett just turned 30, Cook will next month). The numbers from the two players over the last five years are below.
| BENNETT VERSUS COOK, 2012-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Year | Team | No | Yards | TD |
| Bennett | 2016 | New England Patriots | 55 | 701 | 7 |
| Cook | 2016 | Green Bay Packers | 30 | 377 | 1 |
| Bennett | 2015 | Chicago Bears | 53 | 439 | 3 |
| Cook | 2015 | St. Louis Rams | 39 | 481 | 0 |
| Bennett | 2014 | Chicago Bears | 90 | 916 | 6 |
| Cook | 2014 | St. Louis Rams | 52 | 634 | 3 |
| Bennett | 2013 | Chicago Bears | 65 | 759 | 5 |
| Cook | 2013 | St. Louis Rams | 51 | 671 | 5 |
| Bennett | 2012 | New York Giants | 55 | 626 | 5 |
| Cook | 2012 | Tennessee Titans | 44 | 523 | 4 |
--Andy Richardson