The Los Angeles Rams, in addition to releasing face of the franchise and star running back Todd Gurley on Thursday, are also releasing veteran linebacker Clay Matthews, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
#Rams are also releasing LB Clay Matthews, source says
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 19, 2020
The 33-year-old one-time All-Pro linebacker Matthews, most known for his 10-year stint with the Green Bay Packers, only appeared in a single season with the NFC West franchise, as the Rams shed some guaranteed money on their salary cap by releasing the vet.
Matthews, a Super Bowl champion with the Packers, signed with the Rams in March of last year, initially inking a two-year contract with the club in order to bolster the middle-of-the-field defense with proven intensity.
A six-time Pro Bowl linebacker, Matthews tallied the most sacks in a single season in his career with L.A. since his 2014 campaign in Green Bay, recording eight sacks last year along with 37 combined tackles, two forced fumbles, and 11 quarterback hits.
Matthews will enter free agency as a verified leader with tons of postseason experience and an impressive résumé in his 11-year NFL career. While some big names have been signed in free agency already—like Tom Brady and Philip Rivers—there are still plenty of good-to-great players available for teams to sign, and Matthews is definitely one of the top names.
The Rams have made several moves today including releasing Gurley, who was the Offensive Player of the Year three years ago for L.A. The Rams also saw franchise quarterback Jared Goff have tens of millions in his future contract earnings guaranteed on this date, so while the Angeleno team commits to Goff, they have to shed salary where they can, vis a vis losing Gurley and Matthews.
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