The Green Bay Packers are going in hook, line and sinker to try and convince four time MVP Aaron Rodgers back for the 2022 season and beyond.
The hook was overhauling the Special Teams, firing Coordinator Maurice Drayton and replacing him with noted Special Teams coach Rich Bisaccia and adding his long time assistant Byron Storer.
The line is Head Coach Matt LaFleur bringing back Tom Clements to be his new Quarterbacks Coach. First reported by Pro Football Talk and confirmed by other sources, Clements will return to Green Bay where he spent a dozen years on Mike McCarthy’s staff from 2006 to 2016. During his tenure, Clements also served as Offensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach. He was the position coach for Rodgers in the first two of his four MVP seasons (2011, 2014) and Aaron has often spoken highly of his mentor since. After not having his contract renewed by the Packers following the 2016 season, Clements took a couple years off before resurfacing with Kliff Kingsbury’s staff on the Arizona Cardinals for the 2019 season. He retired in early 2020 and has been out of football since. Clements would replace Luke Getsy who left to become the Offensive Coordinator of the Chicago Bears.
It appears this is another move by the Packer organization to convince Rodgers to return. He’s been mulling his future since the Packers had another disappointing playoff exit in the NFC Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers last month. Rodgers indicated he’ll give the Packers an answer before free agency commences in mid-March.
So with the hook and the line in place, the sinker still might be the financial considerations for Rodgers who has a salary cap hit over 45 million dollars for 2022. The team will need to re-write a contract that would keep him at, if not becoming the highest paid quarterback in the league for at least two or three years moving forward. The Packers also have to find a way to retain All Pro receiver Davante Adams. They could by applying the franchise tag for only the second time. That decision would have to be made before the NFL’s calendar year begins. If both players get new deals, there will be precious few dollars left to retain several other veteran free agents on expiring contracts.
