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The Packers appear to be putting on a full-court press as they try to keep star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
According to ESPN, Green Bay has hired Tom Clements as their quarterbacks coach. Clements was previously with the Packers from 2006 to 2016, and is a coach that Rodgers has credited several times for his development as an NFL quarterback.
“I’m thankful, deeply thankful, to guys like Joe Philbin and Tom Clements and Alex Van Pelt, who’ve helped me understand that facet of leadership and being a quarterback,” Rodgers said last month – incidentally, in the week leading up to the Packers’ playoff loss to the 49ers.
Not long before that, after a Week 17 victory over the Vikings, Rodgers brought up Clements unprompted again while discussing a touchdown pass to Davante Adams.
“I learned from Tom Clements, we always had three mortal sins [as] the quarterback: Don’t throw late down the middle, don’t make any blind throws and no premeditated decisions,” Rodgers said. “And so with all apologies to Tom and his excellent training over the years, I kind of had a premeditated decision to throw it to Davante on that play.”
It appears to be yet another trick up the Packers’ sleeve as they attempt to keep the league’s reigning MVP – who has publicly flirted with playing elsewhere or retiring in 2022. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Green Bay is ready to spend close to the salary cap to retain Rodgers (and Adams), and could make the 38-year-old quarterback the highest-paid player in the NFL.
It’s no lock that Rodgers comes back to Wisconsin for his 18th season. He had a public falling out with the Packers’ front office in the 2021 offseason, and ended up restructuring his contract so that he had more freedom to leave the team this year. Rodgers had been frustrated with his lack of say in the team’s personnel and coaching decisions, which the Packers appear to be rectifying this offseason.
The Broncos have been floated as a possible destination – and Denver hired ex-Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their head coach, another figure the quarterback has a good relationship with.
Either way, the Packers are showing that they would much rather run it back with Rodgers than turn to Jordan Love, the Utah State quarterback whom they infamously traded up for in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
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