Clay Matthews had a funny reaction on social media this week when the Green Bay Packers announced they had given his old jersey number to first-round pick Rashan Gary, and the star linebacker may have a good reason to feel bitter toward the team he spent the first 10 years of his career with.
For starters, let’s look at Matthews’ tweet. He basically said the Packers barely even waited for him to pack his things before giving away his No. 52.
???????????? The body’s not even cold yet lol
— Clay Matthews III (@ClayMatthews52) April 29, 2019
We hear over and over again how football is a business, but Michael Silver of NFL Network provided some more context about why Matthews feels so hurt. It was widely reported that the 32-year-old took less money to sign a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams, but Silver says he went to the Packers even after being offered that below-market deal and asked them if they wanted to make an offer. They said no thanks.
Earlier on Up to the Minute, I talked about the real reason Clay Matthews may feel stung by the Packers… @nflnetwork @AndrewSiciliano pic.twitter.com/Ii5CHpbUHZ
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) May 1, 2019
“He left $10 million on the table over two years, and he also wanted to go back to the Packers one more time and say, ‘Hey, before I sign this deal, do you want to offer me something since I’m taking what is essentially a below-market deal?'” Silver relayed. “What was communicated back to him was essentially, ‘It’s ok, man, we’re not interested.'”
There was talk at one point that Matthews was considering retirement because of the trouble he was having with some new NFL rules, but the Rams are a good fit for him since he’s from Los Angeles and went to USC. Still, the six-time Pro Bowler clearly would have preferred to remain in Green Bay. Being told you’re not wanted never feels good.
