Nate Hobbs thanks his mother for being the ‘true pioneer’ leading him to a life-changing contract with the Packers
GREEN BAY – On the fringe of a room crowded with cameras and microphones deep inside Lambeau Field, Nate Hobbs’ mother watched her son introduce himself Friday afternoon to a new life, the future he’s always wanted.
Mom is the hero in this story. “The true pioneer,” her son said. When Hobbs’ father died 13 years ago, Denise pushed on. Raised four children. Motivated her son to pursue his dream.
Hobbs is here now, signing a four-year, $48 million contract with the Green Bay Packers this week, money that will change his family’s life. No one can predict how Hobbs will fit in the Packers secondary, not before he even takes his first practice rep, but the motivation it required to make it this far can’t be ignored.
Hobbs was a zero-star prospect coming out of Louisville (Kentucky) Male High School before committing to Illinois. Then he got two stars next to his name. He expected to go undrafted in 2021. The Las Vegas Raiders selected him in the fifth round. In an offseason Packers fans spent wishing for Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams, Hobbs was the former Raider general manager Brian Gutekunst signed.
At the microphones, Hobbs paused a few seconds to consider what it all means, the long journey scrolling through his mind.
“I think the Packers believed in me,” Hobbs said. “And I don’t take that lightly. I don’t take people believing in me lightly. I don’t want to go into a lot but, where I come from, it don’t happen. What me and my family have been through, and even the people I’ve got with my agents, we’ve been through a lot as individuals, as people. So we connect how we do.”
Then Hobbs looked at his mother in the corner of the room.
“She’s been my biggest motivation,” he said. “My biggest motivator. The reason why I’m here standing tall. Because I seen her never quit, never fold. Never, ever, ever quit. That’s why I am who I am.
“She’s the reason why I did this deal.”
Hobbs’ grit had something to do with his journey, too. He’s leaving Las Vegas after four years, but there’s a picture he wants to take with him. It shows the cornerback standing in the middle of Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, cast over his hand. Earlier in the game two years ago, Hobbs broke his thumb. He’d miss the next five games on injured reserve, but Hobbs heard the roars underneath the stadium as he was getting X-rays. The Raiders had a rare chance to beat Patrick Mahomes on the road.
They eventually lost by 1, but Hobbs wants to frame that picture of him standing inside Arrowhead anyway. It’s a reminder of what it took to travel from no-star recruit, to fifth-round pick, to $48 million corner.
“I’d be an underdog if I was getting paid $100 million,” Hobbs said. “Because I don’t see any articles out or anything of me being a top corner. Do you? Have you seen articles about Nate Hobbs being a top (corner)? Nah. So even if I was a $100 million guy, in my heart of hearts I’m an underdog. Because I’m never going to forget that. And I can be a top corner, whatever the case is. I’m still the underdog because I had to scratch and claw to get here.
“Nothing was given to me. Everything was taken. I say there are two ways to get respect. You can earn it, or you take it. I like taking it. So I’m going to be an underdog until I die.”
Hobbs will have a chance to show why the Packers believed he could be something more. He didn’t share many details on how he’ll fit in the secondary, noting it’s still the middle of March. There’s a long way to go until the season. After playing mostly in the slot as a nickel corner with the Raiders, Hobbs is expected to get more snaps on the perimeter. He also said versatility is his strength.
Wherever the Packers need him to play throughout the season, Hobbs is willing to fill that spot. Asked about the possibility to pair with former Raiders teammate Keisean Nixon at corner, Hobbs said there should be high expectations.
“I think it would be legendary,” he said.
That word – legendary – was part of what drew Hobbs to the Packers, beyond the money. After signing his contract, Hobbs made his way onto his new home field. The oldest stadium in the NFL. He put his hand on the Lambeau Field dirt. He did a Lambeau Leap. He envisioned what it might be like on game days.
His mother was with him. Denise wasn’t leaving his side throughout this transformative week.
“We had our little session,” Hobbs said. “We held hands. We hugged. Shed some tears. Because my mother raised four children off $25,000 a year − $25,000 a year. She raised four children off of that. I’m making a lot more than $25,000 a year.
“I think we’re going to be all right.”