Former Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews (52) during an NFL preseason game at Lambeau Field on Thursday, August 16, 2018 in Green Bay. Adam Wesley/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wi

Clay Matthews: 'Would have loved to finish my career' with Packers

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Oct 3, 2022 11:13 PM ET

Former Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams linebacker Clay Matthews is a man of few regrets.

But as he tells it, if he could change one thing about the way his playing career ended, he would have retired as a member of the team that drafted him 26th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft.

"I would have loved to finish my career [in Green Bay]," Matthews said recently, via ESPN's Rob Demovsky. "Based on my discussions after that 2018 season, I thought we were going to continue moving forward. But yeah, the manner in which it did kind of caught me by surprise. Ultimately, it is what it is. I had fun in my year in L.A. It was a blast getting to go home and play with some incredible players."

Green Bay misses you, Clay

A fan-favorite player, Clay Matthews was a part of the 2011 Super Bowl title run. pic.twitter.com/GOuPo3nTal
— Packers Nation (@PackersNationCP) September 28, 2022

Green Bay’s all-time leader in sacks (83.5), Matthews spent the first 10 years of his career with the Packers, totaling 482 tackles, 121 tackles for loss, 15 forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries. He won a Super Bowl in 2011 and was a six-time Pro Bowl selection, a first-team All-Pro selection in 2010, and a second-team All-Pro selection in 2012.

Matthews signed a two-year deal with the Rams ahead of the 2019 season, racking up 37 tackles, 28 QB pressures, 16 QB hurries, 11 QB hits, nine tackles for loss, eight sacks, and two forced fumbles in his lone season. He was released during the 2020 offseason, and he officially announced his retirement on Sept. 27 after two years away from football.

"Everyone knows me from my time in Green Bay," Matthews added. "The 10 years I played with the Packers were a lot more than the one year I played with the Rams."

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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