Home NFL Should the Packers bring back Clay Matthews?

Should the Packers bring back Clay Matthews?

Will the Packers and Clay Matthews reunite?

By: Jake Rajala

The legendary, thor-like defender Clay Matthews is the Green Bay Packers all-time sack leader (83.5 sacks). Here is a closer look at how potent Matthews was for the Packers in his career:

  • six-time Pro Bowl selection
  • All-Pro in 2010
  • six seasons of 7.5+ sacks
  • 15 forced fumbles
  • 121 tackles for loss

The mythical Packers defender exited cheese land in the 2019 offseason and suited up for the Los Angeles Rams in the 2019 season. The former USC walk-on notched eight sacks in his first season as a Ram.

Matthews hasn’t played in the league since 2019, but he hasn’t officially retired. It should also be noted that he wasn’t “washed up” in his most recent season of play. Matthews’s sack total in 2019 (eight) was his highest single-season sack tally since 2014. He also had nine tackles for loss. It should also be well noted that he accomplished these feats in 13 games in the 2019 regular season.

Matthews may have split with the Packers, but that hasn’t stopped the Packers MVP QB Aaron Rodgers from poking at Matthews half-seriously to return. I feel very confident that the Packers nation would find it poetic to have their former Super Bowl champion LB help them find gold for their second Lombardi trophy with Rodgers.

It would be very fitting if the Packers brought Matthews home in 2022. They recently cut ties with the expensive edge rusher Za’Darius Smith (who carried a cap number of $27.6 million) and they could clearly use a replacement for Smith. The recently released prominent Packers LB made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2020 with the Pack. They could look to bring in a familiar, athletic face in Matthews.

The Packers could elect to bring Matthews back for a “last hoorah” and they could still draft an edge rusher early in the 2022 NFL Draft. Matthews would be an excellent third-down pass rusher at the very least. Matthews might be 35, but I believe he can still be a contributor at this stage in his career. The workaholic James Harrison was a quality asset to the Pats at age 35+ in his career and I believe Matthews also has some gas left in the tank for the team that drafted him. The NFL world saw Tom Brady come out of retirement this offseason and football fanatics might also see the well-rested Matthews return to help his old, pass rusher needy Packers squad this offseason.

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