The Los Angeles Rams made another big signing this offseason, perhaps in name only, when they inked veteran linebacker Clay Matthews to a two-year deal. Matthews spent all of his 10 NFL seasons playing at Lambeau Field for the Green Bay Packers before signing with the Rams for a max value of $16.75 million.

LA, who will again be a contender in the NFC, gets a player who still has some gas in the tank and will be anxious for a return to postseason play. For Matthews, it's a homecoming. The former USC Trojan will get to play at the LA Coliseum in 2019 before heading to the new facility in Inglewood for the 2020 season.

This signing again shows that Los Angeles is an attractive destination. They are the dominant team in the NFC West, have perhaps the best coach in the league in Sean McVay, and have a lot of young talent that will keep them in the mix for seasons to come. For a player like Matthews, it's a logical fit for a guy no stranger to media attention.

Odds are also high he will be a solid contributor in a Wade Phillips' system. Matthews is the Packers' all-time leader in sacks (83.5), has earned six Pro Bowl trips, and he played a vital role in Green Bay's Super Bowl 45 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Solid credentials indeed.

What Matthews really brings to LA

For fans who will see the name and think he solves all the Rams' defensive issues from 2018, think again. He's a nice tandem piece who can contribute to a workable pass rush, but this past season he was remarkably mortal, as he generated only 3.5 sacks over 16 games.

Los Angeles, who didn't see their defense arrive until the playoffs, will see a bump from a high energy player like Matthews. For a team like the Rams, it can only help as they try again to close the deal on not just a return to the Super Bowl, but winning it all. Being part of a defense featuring Aaron Donald can only help.

The Rams look more and more like a team veteran players are finding favorable. A year ago at this time, they added high profile names like Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, and Ndamukong Suh. All three played a part in LA getting to Atlanta for Super Bowl 53. Matthews is another name who looked around the NFL landscape and saw the quality in what McVay is building.

The numbers will show that Matthews isn't the player he used to be. His days of making it a long afternoon for opposing quarterbacks are also behind him. In a Phillips defense, he's likely to see fewer plays, but that may actually be a good thing, as the once-dominant linebacker can focus on quality snaps instead of quantity.

Rams' rise as a free agent destination

The Rams have managed to hit the trifecta of sorts. They have a new state of the art stadium coming online in 2020, they look to have all the parts to contend for the foreseeable future, and they are an organization committed to winning on all fronts. For any veteran player, those are the kind of qualities that make the latter part of a career less tedious.

Only Matthews knows where he is in his career. Leaving an organization like the Packers to come west to Los Angeles is a pretty good deal given where both teams are at where winning is concerned.

The Los Angeles Rams and Clay Matthews make a lot of sense in 2019 and 2020. For a media-savvy guy like Matthews, it's also a smart move as he looks forward to whatever the next chapter after football may be in a city where a second career for the Southern California legend will be easy to come by.