Aaron Rodgers had a tremendous resource when he took over as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers in 2008. Fast forward 15 years later, Jordan Love has that same resource.
Tom Clements is returning as the Packers’ quarterback’s coach. Clements was re-hired prior to last season at the request of Rodgers, who credits the long-time NFL coach with helping in his development during his early years in Green Bay.
“Tom and I go way back,” Rodgers told The Pat McAfee Show last season. “I love Tom. I owe him so much credit for my development. I’m happy to see him back in the game. The game is better when Tom Clements is coaching because he’s one of those special, special coaches.”
Under Clements’ tutelage, Rodgers went from a struggling quarterback in the 2006 preseason to an MVP in 2011. That was the last year Clements served as Rodgers’ quarterback coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator. He remained with the Packers until his contract expired in 2016, after which he stepped away from the NFL for two years.
Returning in 2019, Clements was hired by the Arizona Cardinals to be their pass game coordinator and quarterback’s coach. However, unwilling to go through another year affected by COVID, he announced his retirement after the 2020 season.
Clements managed to stay retired for a year while Green Bay enjoyed another 13-win season. Their sustained success required Matt LaFleur to fill multiple openings as his top assistants were plucked away and promoted elsewhere. Wanting a familiar face in the quarterback room, Rodgers was the first to reach out to Clements about joining LaFleur’s staff.
“After the (2021) season, Aaron contacted me,” Clements said in April 2022. “He had talked to Matt, (who) wanted to gauge my interest in coming back. I said, ‘Yeah, I’d talk about it’ and then talked with Matt a couple of times. We got together, talked, talked a little bit more with Aaron, and it just worked out.”
Initially, Clements was intrigued by the idea of winning another Super Bowl alongside Rodgers. Unfortunately, the season ended much differently, with Rodgers having the worst statistical season of his career and the Packers missing the playoffs.
That said, 2022 wasn’t a total loss for everyone. Love benefited the most from the time he spent with Clements, who was also excited about working with Rodgers’ heir apparent.
“It’s always fun to work with a younger guy trying to impart some knowledge to him and see how he grows, so I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
Love got the chance to show his progress under Clements when he completed six out of nine passes for 113 yards and a touchdown in two fourth-quarter drives against the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles. A key takeaway from that performance was the command Love showed over the offense that wasn’t there prior to Clements’ arrival. It made LaFleur’s decision easier on whether or not to bring the aging quarterback’s coach back for another year.
“Just watching him last year, I think Jordan’s made some huge strides,” LaFleur told reporters on Saturday. “I really do and I think a lot of it is a credit to Tom, and just, he knows how to train these guys. He knows how to drill them and he’s very, very consistent. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He just is a matter of fact and I think there’s no doubt. I asked Jordan after the season how he felt about him, and he said he loved Tom and thought he did a hell of a job helping him develop over the course of the year. For me, it was a no-brainer, it was just whether or not Tom wanted to come back.”
Clements could have easily walked away from the game again at the age of 69. Last offseason, he said he didn’t have the itch to coach again and his main reason for coming back was just traded to the New York Jets. Nevertheless, Clements is returning in 2023 to see Love’s development through his first season as the starter.
Story originally appeared on Packers Wire