Tom Clements stepping down as Packers' QBs coach after working with Favre, Rodgers and Love

 

[January 15, 2025]  GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Tom Clements is stepping down as the Green Bay Packers quarterbacks’ coach after a 25-year NFL career in which he worked with Hall of Famer Brett Favre and four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that the 71-year-old Clements is retiring. Clements had begun a second stint at Green Bay by joining LaFleur’s staff in 2022.

“Man, it’s been a cool ride with him for the last three years,” LaFleur said. “He’s incredibly consistent. What a great man, a great mind. Obviously he’s had the opportunity to coach some of the best. Talk about Favre, Rodgers and then the development of Jordan Love. I mean, that’s pretty cool. I know he’s meant a lot to this organization — his contributions — and he will definitely be missed. I can’t say enough great things about him.”

Clements began his coaching career after quarterbacking Notre Dame’s 1973 national championship team and playing 12 seasons in the Canadian Football League. He was the CFL’s most valuable player in 1987 and won Grey Cup titles with Ottawa in 1976 and with Winnipeg in 1984.

He spent four years as a Notre Dame assistant before beginning a three-year stint as the New Orleans Saints’ quarterbacks coach in 1997. He also coached quarterbacks with the Kansas City Chiefs (2000) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2001-03) and was the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator (2004-05) before coming to Green Bay in 2006.

Clements was in Green Bay for Favre’s final two seasons with the Packers and then for Rodgers’ emergence into one of the league’s top quarterbacks. During Clements’ first stint in Green Bay, Rodgers won his first two MVP awards and led the 2010 Packers to their last Super Bowl title.

Clements was Green Bay’s quarterbacks coach from 2006-11 and offensive coordinator from 2012-14. He left to work with Kyler Murray as the Arizona Cardinals’ passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2019-20. After spending a year away from the game, Clements returned in 2022 for Rodgers’ final season in Green Bay.

After Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets, Clements remained with the Packers for Love’s first two seasons as Green Bay’s starting quarterback.

LaFleur announced the retirement of Clements as part of a season-ending news conference two days after the Packers fell 22-10 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs. The Packers committed four turnovers without forcing any as they closed their season with a third straight loss.

Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements directs players during NFL football training camp Saturday, July. 27, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer, File)

“Everybody’s kind of gutted,” LaFleur said. “Again, I think if you go out there and you play at your best and you come up short, there’s a different feeling. And you’ve got to give them (credit), I’m not trying to take any credit away from Philly. That’s a really good team. But ... you can’t have four turnovers in the game and expect to win the game.”

LaFleur fielded plenty of questions about Love, who threw three interceptions without a touchdown pass against the Eagles. Before Sunday, Love hadn't thrown an interception in seven straight games.

Love completed 63.1% of his passes this season, down from 64.2% in 2023. Love, who missed two games with a knee injury, threw 25 touchdown passes with 11 interceptions in the regular season after having a 32-11 touchdown-interception ratio in 2023.

LaFleur praised Love’s ability to avoid sacks and noted that dropped passes caused some of the problems when Green Bay struggled to move the ball through the air. LaFleur added that the next step in Love’s development is to become a more vocal leader.

“I think he is an ascending player that is going to get better and better and better,” LaFleur said. “He approaches the game the right way.”

LaFleur also commented on cornerback Keisean Nixon's Monday remarks that he doesn't want to return kicks anymore so that he can focus more on defense. Nixon was an All-Pro kickoff returner in 2022 and 2023.

“I love Kei,” LaFleur said. “I do. I love how he competes. I love how he prepares. Not sure why he said what he said.”

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