Aaron Rodgers Had A ‘Significant Role’ In Hiring The Packers’ New Quarterbacks Coach

Aaron Rodgers loves Tom Clements.

The Green Bay Packers recently hired Clements to be their quarterbacks coach.

And during Wednesday’s NFL Scouting Combine, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Rodgers was integral in bringing Clements to Green Bay.

That might be clearest sign yet that Rodgers plans to return to the Packers in 2022.

“He had a significant role,” LaFleur said when asked how much say Rodgers had in bringing Clements to Green Bay. “I got an opportunity to go out and meet with (Clements) prior to the Super Bowl and really sit down and have lunch with him. And I think we interviewed each other to some level. But just the conversations we had, it’s pretty easy for me to see why he is such a great quarterbacks coach and developer and such a great communicator. He’s got such a great even keel demeanor.”

Rodgers hasn’t told the Packers if he wants to return to Green Bay in 2022, ask for a trade or retire. But you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to connect the dots on this one.

Clements, who turns 69 before the season starts, was an NFL assistant coach from 1997-2020. Clements was on Mike McCarthy’s staff in Green Bay from 2006-16 as the Packers’ quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator and later assistant head coach.

Clements, who became extremely close to Rodgers during their time together, was out of football in 2021. And it seems unlikely Clements would come back to the game unless he felt relatively certain Rodgers would be joining him in Green Bay.

LaFleur was asked what the hiring of Clements meant for Rodgers’ future.

“Well, I don’t want to get into those conversations too much, but certainly when you have a player of that caliber, as important as he’s been to this organization, and then when he credits and gives somebody like that so much praise, to me you’d be foolish not to listen to that,” LaFleur said of Rodgers. “So that’s why I wanted to go sit down with Tom and he’s a very impressive guy.”

Although Rodgers signed off on Clements, the quarterback has yet to make his plans for 2022 official. And LaFleur said while waiting isn’t fun, it’s part of the deal.

“I mean, you can only control what you can control, so you just try to make the best of it and try to have consistent communication,” LaFleur said. “And I told him, ‘I don’t want to be overbearing and tell him every day how much we love him and how much we want him back.’ So you just want to be respectful of his space and allow him to think through everything clearly without being annoying, I guess.”