Green Bay Packers: Top five reasons the meltdown in Atlanta should be no surprise
By Josh McPeak
#5. Clay Matthews
A lot of heat is being removed from the staff and the roster for this season. Injuries have created an easy scapegoat for some very horrid performances during the season.
The average salary for Matthews is about $13.2 million per season. Overall, the contract was for five years at $66 million.
More from Lombardi Ave
- Packers: Picks in NFL.com mock draft would be a home run
- Packers salary cap update following second week of free agency
- Packers’ cornerback depth chart after second week of free agency
- Packers’ edge rusher depth chart after second week of free agency
- Packers’ tackle depth chart after second week of free agency
I’m not going to crunch the numbers, but that seems steep for 24 tackles to go along with only five sacks. That was indeed the final stat sheet for the 2016 season of Clay Matthews. A season that saw Matthews move back to his home outside, for the majority of his snap count.
Clay performed in that NFC Championship Game like he did all season. In that game, Clay was credited for one total tackle, though he did hit Matt Ryan a team-high three times.
The void of huge plays from Matthews crippled an already-vulnerable defense. Time will tell if it was injuries. One thing is for certain, his contract isn’t going anywhere.
Should it?