Green Bay Packers: 50 greatest players in franchise history
By John Buhler
. LB. (2009-present). Clay Matthews III. 19. player. 49
Greatest players in Green Bay Packers history: 19. Clay Matthews III
Linebacker Clay Matthews III has put together an impressive enough résumé to crack the top-20 in all-time Packers’ lore. Green Bay took the former USC Trojans pass rusher in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Matthews comes from one of the most prestigious football families in the sport. His father is Cleveland Browns legendary linebacker Clay Matthews Jr. His uncle is Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Bruce Matthews of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. Even Matthews’ cousin Jake Matthews is the starting left tackle for the Atlanta Falcons. The football blood runs deep with this family to say the least.
Matthews earned six Pro Bowl honors. In 2010, he was a first-team All-Pro, was the PFWA’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year and was an important part of the Super Bowl XLV championship squad in Green Bay. Even after having to switch linebacking roles to help the team in recent years, Matthews is synonymous with the Packers defense of the Mike McCarthy era in Green Bay.
Matthews stellar career consisted of 383 tackles, 146 assists, 91.5 quarterback sacks, 44 passes defended, 17 forced fumbles, six interceptions and five fumble recoveries. While he may have retired in 2019, Matthews has a Hall of Fame argument..