GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Jared Cook is just the kind of free agent Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson likes -- the kind that wouldn’t count against his team in the compensatory draft pick sweepstakes.

So it should come as no surprise that Cook, the former St. Louis Rams tight end, was the first -- and so far only -- free agent to visit the Packers since the market opened last Wednesday. According to a source, Cook visited the Packers on Monday.

A source said the Packers inquired about Cook at the trade deadline last season but couldn’t swing a deal.

Cook was released by the Rams nearly a month ago, meaning the Packers could have brought him in at any time after that. Why they waited until free agency was nearly a week old is anyone’s guess.

Cook, originally a third-round pick of the Titans in 2009, was three years into a five-year, $35 million contract when the Rams let him go. In those three seasons, he caught 142 passes for 1,786 yards and eight touchdowns. However, his salary-cap charge for 2016 would have been $8.3 million. That was far too high for a player who caught 39 passes for 481 yards without a touchdown last season -- his lowest numbers since 2010.

"Jared made an immediate impact when he joined the team in 2013. It's been a pleasure watching him grow from the time I drafted him in Tennessee to seeing him set franchise records in St. Louis," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said when Cook was released along with Chris Long and James Laurinaitis. "Like Chris and James, he's been a mainstay in the community, and his contributions are commendable. We hope for the best for Jared and his family as he embarks on the next steps of his career."

Cook wouldn’t count against the Packers in the compensatory pick formula because he’s technically not an unrestricted free agent. Rather, he’s considered a street free agent because he was cut by the Rams. Also, visits by street free agents don't have to reported to the league at this time of the year, which would explain why it took a day for the news of his visit to leak.

The Packers have already lost two players -- quarterback Scott Tolzien and cornerback Casey Hayward -- who could net them compensatory draft picks in 2017. This year, they gained a pair of fourth-round picks after losing cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Davon House last year in free agency. Julius Peppers, the last veteran from another team to sign with the Packers, was in the same category as Cook when he joined the Packers on a three-year, $26 million contract and therefore didn't hurt the Packers' compensatory pick allotment.

Tight end and inside linebacker are the Packers' two biggest needs this offseason. The Packers do not plan to re-sign veteran tight end Andrew Quarless, leaving them with just Richard Rodgers, Kennard Backman and Justin Perillo at the position.