Clay Mathews signs two-year deal with Rams

Clay Matthews will be playing for a team other than the Green Bay Packers for the first time in his career.

Matthews is signing with the Los Angeles Rams, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. The deal is for two years and reportedly pays Matthews up to $16.75 million.

Two-year deal for LB Clay Matthews with the #Rams worth a max of $16.75 million, source says. He had more lucrative offers on the table but he just welcomed his third child and really wanted to play close to home. Plus, a shot at another ring doesn’t hurt.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 20, 2019

Rapoport had previously said that the Rams were a strong possibility as a landing spot for him.

Playing for the Rams will be a homecoming for Matthews, who grew up in Los Angeles and played college ball at USC. His high school, Agoura, and his offseason training facility in Westlake Village are very close to where the Rams practice, so he is extremely familiar with the surroundings.

Matthews, who turns 33 in May, had 43 tackles and 3.5 sacks last season. He proved adept at getting to the quarterback, though the league made an example out of him for his hits on the quarterback. Now that they have relaxed those rules, he could still be an effective pass-rusher. The Rams are betting that will be the case.