The Green Bay Packers didn't make many changes to their offensive coaching staff, but they did add a couple of pieces. And one of them was a former player who had been talked about as a future coach for a long time. When Sean Mannion finally decided to retire to become an assistant, the Packers were not the only interested team.
But, well, the Packers beat the Chicago Bears again.
"They tried to get him," head coach Matt LaFleur. "But I guess we had more to offer."
LaFleur revealed that he interviewed Mannion virtually during the NFC Championship Game. He will be an offensive assistant, working primarily with the quarterbacks.
Matt LaFleur and Sean Mannion have known each other for a long time. The Packers head coach worked with the quarterback in 2017, when LaFleur spent one season as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator. At the time, Mannion was Jared Goff's backup.
"He's a guy I've always respected for how he went about his process, how he prepared for games," LaFleur recalled.
Quarterback-centric staff
The Green Bay Packers offensive coaching staff is built to develop quarterbacks. LaFleur obviously has a background in that area — he is a former college and minor leagues quarterback, and was a quarterbacks coach with the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons in the NFL.
The staff also has legendary quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, who's worked with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Assistant quarterbacks Connor Lewis helps the passer with an analytics approach, and now the group will also have Mannion.
Sean Mannion's track record
Mannion was not exactly a great NFL quarterback — he started only three games over seven seasons in the league. However, he was able to get multiple jobs for the Rams, Minnesota Vikings, and Seattle Seahawks over the years exactly because of his football intelligence and ability to help the starting quarterbacks.
Tom Clements is great and the Packers love him. But he's 70, and when he decides to retire, Green Bay has a solid succession plan in place.
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