It's time the Green Bay Packers move on from veteran linebacker Clay Matthews.
Sentimentally, this is tough. Outside of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, of course, Matthews is the face of the franchise having spent 10 years since being drafted in Round 1 way back in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Yet teams don't hold onto players for sentimental reasons. At least they shouldn't. And with Matthews' current contract expiring after 2018, the Packers are faced with deciding between a 32-year-old player on the decline or the team's future.
Matthews' numbers have been on the decline for some time now. Despite some rotating around Green Bay's front seven, it's not hard to see the overall impact hasn't quite been there the past few seasons.
For starters, Matthews is no longer the prolific pass-rusher he was earlier in his career. That's generally OK, as the Packers have received solid sack production from linebacker Kyler Fackrell and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
| Game | Game | Def | Def | Def | Def | Fumb | Fumb | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | G | GS | Int | Yds | TD | PD | FF | FR | Sk | Comb | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits |
| 2009* | 23 | GNB | lb/ROLB | 16 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 10.0 | 50 | 36 | 14 | 17 | 21 |
| 2010*+ | 24 | GNB | lb/LOLB | 15 | 15 | 1 | 62 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13.5 | 59 | 54 | 5 | 18 | 25 |
| 2011* | 25 | GNB | LOLB | 15 | 15 | 3 | 47 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6.0 | 55 | 41 | 14 | 8 | 25 |
| 2012* | 26 | GNB | ROLB | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13.0 | 43 | 32 | 11 | 15 | 24 |
| 2013 | 27 | GNB | ROLB | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7.5 | 40 | 26 | 14 | 9 | 11 |
| 2014* | 28 | GNB | lolb/mlb/rolb | 16 | 16 | 1 | 40 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 11.0 | 71 | 52 | 19 | 16 | 22 |
| 2015* | 29 | GNB | MLB | 16 | 16 | 1 | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6.5 | 66 | 49 | 17 | 14 | 19 |
| 2016 | 30 | GNB | lb/lolb/rolb | 12 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5.0 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 9 |
| 2017 | 31 | GNB | LOLB/rolb | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7.5 | 43 | 27 | 16 | 8 | 21 |
| 2018 | 32 | GNB | LB | 11 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2.5 | 35 | 24 | 11 | 4 | 10 | ||||
| Care | Care | 138 | 132 | 6 | 191 | 2 | 41 | 15 | 5 | 82.5 | 486 | 361 | 125 | 118 | 187 |
But Matthews has also lost a step, starting to show some issues in the tackling department. His six missed tackles on the season are the most he's had since an underwhelming 2015 campaign, according to Pro Football Focus.
Clay Matthews is getting ripped for this embarrassing missed tackle 😳https://t.co/w4v0UDJ5Dq
— For The Win (@ForTheWin) October 16, 2018
He's had four of those the last three games too, a point in Green Bay's season where the veteran Matthews' age could be catching up with him.
And Matthews' PFF grades have also taken a pretty big hit since last season:
Now this isn't to say Matthews is a bad linebacker. He's still serviceable. But he's no longer the top linebacker on the Packers' squad. That honor goes to Fackrell, of course, who will remain playing on a team-friendly deal for the foreseeable future.
Fackrell and Clark have provided a solid pass rush. But Green Bay's defense would benefit from a quality edge-rushing presence on the strong side of the front seven, Matthews' spot. Currently, the Packers own the No. 11 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Fortunately, this year's draft is awfully deep with pass-rushers. So if Green Bay elected to use that top pick to address other needs in the secondary, its top pick in Round 2 could still net some quality edge rushers.
Some names to consider here are Mississippi State's Montez Sweat, Oregon's Jalen Jelks, and Michigan's Chase Winovich (for those who appreciate the hairdo).
Any one of these younger, more athletic prospects could ensure the Packers free up some much-needed cap space that would otherwise be used on Matthews. And there's a good chance those same players could develop into the versatile playmaking defender Matthews was during his heyday years. While it will be hard for any player to have a similar immediate impact as Matthews did his rookie year, merely being good in year one would be an upgrade over what Matthews is right now.
There's always the age-old football belief it's better to part ways with a player a year too soon than a year too late.
Currently, the Packers are in that spot where they have to decide if that time has come. Since it has, the decision should be pretty straight forward.
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