Aaron Rodgers is making a push for the Packers to sign Clay Matthews
One of the big sources of conflict between Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers was that the MVP quarterback felt he didn’t have enough say in personnel matters.
It appeared that issue was solved — at least temporarily — when the sides agreed to a truce ahead of the 2021 season.
Rodgers wasted no time using his newfound influence. He said he wanted receiver Randall Cobb back on the team, so Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst went out and traded for him, admitting: "This is a very important thing for Aaron, and that's why we did it."
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Now, Rodgers is flexing his muscles again, and he’s getting some support from his teammates along the way. The quarterback, along with Cobb and offensive lineman David Bakhtiari, posted to Instagram on Saturday morning lobbying for the team to bring back yet another well-known former Packer: Clay Matthews.
Matthews, of course, was a star for the Packers in his prime, earning six trips to the Pro Bowl and a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2010.
He has not been quite that player for some time, however. Matthews’ most recent Pro Bowl selection came in 2015, and he had only 37 tackles in 13 games with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, the last time he put on pads.
To be fair, Matthews had eight sacks for the Rams in that campaign, and though he took last season off, he has not retired. Perhaps with the time off, the 35-year-old’s body will find new life.
Still, whether Matthews has anything left in the tank remains to be seen.
In the grand scheme of things, though, the more interesting question might be whether this uneasy peace forged between the Packers and Rodgers will prove effective. Will the Packers continue to let Rodgers run personnel? Will they bring in Matthews, and if so, will that lead to others?
In the long run, will it even work?
Colin Cowherd pointed out this potential dilemma on a recent episode of "The Herd."
In a news conference, Rodgers mentioned a list of former teammates the Packers had allowed to leave, viewing it as a sign of disrespect. But Cowherd researched that list of players, which included Cobb and Matthews, and determined that the Packers had made the correct choice in most cases.
"Aaron is now perceiving himself as the general manager," Cowherd said. "When Aaron says, ‘These are my buddies,’ you can't have a roster full of buddies. … Nine of the 11 players, Green Bay made absolutely the right move."
Colin Cowherd: 'Green Bay can't have a roster full of Aaron Rodgers' buddies' I THE HERD
As Cowherd pointed out, most star players — even the best — don't have much say over personnel matters. Even Tom Brady didn't get to decide whom the New England Patriots surrounded him with (Bill Belichick held that power tightly), and look at the success they had over the course of two decades.
That's not to say Rodgers doesn't have a feel for which players will fit best on Green Bay's roster, but such an arrangement is unusual.
From the team's perspective, though, this buys management some time to regroup after an acrimonious offseason. If it works, they win and then can decide whether to trade Rodgers next offseason. If it doesn't work, it's clear where they will be placing the blame — and it certainly won't be on Gutekunst and management.
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