Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers smiles during a break in action in the third quarter of the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 19, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Green Bay Packers are bringing back a former assistant coach who was pivotal in helping develop Aaron Rodgers early in his NFL career.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Packers are expected to hire Tom Clements as their new quarterbacks coach for the 2022 season, a decision that should be “another motivating factor” for Rodgers as he chooses whether to remain in Green Bay or take his career another direction.
Clements will replace Luke Getsy as the Packers’ quarterbacks coach and become the second to fill the position since Matt LaFleur took over as head coach in 2019. Getsy left his post on January 30 to become the new offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears.
Rodgers still hasn’t decided whether he plans to return to Green Bay next season or pursue other options, such as requesting a trade or retiring from the NFL altogether. He has, however, repeatedly mentioned that his relationship with the organization and general manager Brian Gutekunst has improved since last offseason.
Now, with a hiring decision that seems catered to Rodgers’ interests, his return for the 2022 season seems more likely than ever.
The Packers have not yet officially announced Clements’ hiring, but bringing him in as their new quarterbacks coach would essentially round out all of the important positions on Matt LaFleur’s next coaching staff. Over the past month, the team has also promoted Adam Stenavich to offensive coordinator, Jason Vrable to passing game coordinator, Luke Butkus to offensive line coach and John Dunn to tight ends coach.
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Clements Has Strong Track Record in NFL
As Wilson noted, Clements has an “extensive background” with the four-time MVP quarterback that goes back to the first few years of Rodgers’ career. Clements was the Packers’ quarterbacks coach from 2006 to 2011 and has received a heap of credit for his role in developing Rodgers into one of the game’s top quarterbacks. He was later promoted to offensive coordinator (2012-14) and assistant head coach (2015-16), the latter of which came with play-calling duties; though, Mike McCarthy took away those responsibilities fairly quickly and chose not to renew Clements’ contract after 2016.
Clements was also praised for his work with backup Matt Flynn, who delivered a record-shattering performance in his second career NFL start. Flynn blew the doors off the Detroit Lions in the 2011 regular-season finale while the Packers were resting Rodgers for the playoffs, throwing for 480 yards and six touchdowns — both single-game franchise records at the time. The performance impressed the Seattle Seahawks enough for them to sign Flynn to a three-year, $20.5 million contract the following offseason.
Clements laid low for a few seasons after leaving Green Bay, but he returned in 2019 as a passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Arizona Cardinals and assisted in the development of No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray for two seasons before opting to retire from the league. During his second and final season working with Clements, Murray finished with 3,971 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 819 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns — all of which are still career-high marks for him.