Clay Matthews entered the 2019 NFL season fully expecting to end up returning to the Green Bay Packers. Once everything was said and done, however, the veteran pass rusher ended up signing a contract with the defending NFC champion Los Angeles Rams.
While the move is one that made Matthews happy with a return to California, it was a shock for him. He shared some of his thoughts on the offseason move in a quote shared by NFL.com.
“I was kind of taken aback, because I thought I'd always be back there, whether it was at a cheaper price [or not],” Matthews said. “So that was kind of a shock, because [my family] stayed out there and had our third child in the offseason, and I was hanging in town training there and everything. And yeah, that was kind of a surprise to me because I just figured I would be out there a few more years. People say, ‘You chose to go to L.A.' I didn't choose. They told me there was no room for me.”
Green Bay ended up going in a different direction early in free agency. Brian Gutekunst reached into the Packers' wallet and paid big money to bring in Preston and Za'Darius Smith to bolster the pass rush. The team also drafted Rashan Gary with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Matthews has been a longtime superstar for the Packers' defense. It will be strange seeing him in a uniform other than the green and gold. Obviously, it will be sad for the fans in Green Bay to see Matthews trying to get after Aaron Rodgers this season if the two teams end up facing off against each other in the playoffs.
In the 143 career games that Matthews played with the Packers, he racked up 483 total tackles to go along with 84.5 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, six interceptions, two defensive touchdowns, and 40 defended passes.
Those numbers show just how dominant Matthews was with the Packers and he will always be remembered fondly in Green Bay. Hopefully, he is able to retire with the franchise at some point in the future just like Jordy Nelson did this offseason.
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