When the Green Bay Packers hired quarterbacks coach Tom Clements back a year ago, Aaron Rodgers hadn't decided yet if he was going to keep playing or not. The move to rehire the coach was the first strong indication that Rodgers would be back, and head coach Matt LaFleur admitted the veteran quarterback's praise was a big part of the selection process to replace Luke Getsy, who left to Green Bay to be the Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator.

One year later, even with a similar situation — not knowing if Rodgers would be back —, Clements was retained by LaFleur. And that's a big step for Jordan Love's development.

"I would say that, just in terms of our conversations over the last couple of years, and how much he credits Tom for his development, it was very intriguing when we had an opportunity," LaFleur said right after hiring the position coach. "I got an opportunity to go out and meet with him prior to the Super Bowl, really sit down and had lunch with him. I think we interviewed each other, to some level, but just the conversations we had, it's pretty easy for me to see why he is such a great quarterback coach and developer, he's such a great communicator, he's got such a great even-keeled demeanor."

A former CFL quarterback and with a brief playing experience in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs, Clements consolidated himself with a strong track record developing young quarterbacks. He was a position coach for the New Orleans Saints (1997-1999), Kansas City Chiefs (2000), and Pittsburgh Steelers (2001-2003) before receiving his first opportunity as an offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills (2004-2005).
After being fired in Buffalo, Clements joined the initial Mike McCarthy staff in Green Bay in 2006 as quarterbacks coach. That was Aaron Rodgers second season in the NFL, and he spent two more seasons behind Brett Favre before taking over as the starter. The last season of Clements as QB coach was 2011, and Rodgers was the MVP for the first time.

Clements spent three years as offensive coordinator and two more as assistant head coach before his first retirement. The coach spent two years with the Arizona Cardinals helping develop Kyler Murray as QBs coach and passing game coordinator. Then, after one season away from football, he got the call from LaFleur.

"Just his ability to develop quarterbacks, no matter who is in the room, is going to be very beneficial to the Green Bay Packers organization," added LaFleur.

In 2022, besides his relationship with Rodgers, Clements was an integral part of Jordan Love's development — and the improvement on the field was clear, including footwork and release.

"It's the things we've worked on the most, which is footwork, the proper drop, going through your progression, not getting stuck on a receiver, not being late with the ball," Clements said of Love after his appearance against the Philadelphia Eagles. "We work on different route concepts each week, we did a lot in the spring, but then you have to see it play out when you have a defense out there. You have to be able to go from 1-2-3 to your outlet quickly, and you can't lock on a guy. You have to process information quickly, figure out where to go, and your footwork plays into that as well. If your feet are right, and you're seeing things right, you're able to decide where to go with the ball. His footwork, rhythm and getting the ball off on time is where he's gotten a lot better.”

Throughout his NFL coaching career, Clements worked with players like Kerry Collins, Jake Delhomme, Elvis Grbac, Tommy Maddox,     Drew Bledsoe, J. P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb, Kyler Murray. In Green Bay, he coached Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Brian Brohm, Matt Flynn, Brett Hundley, among others. Even with quarterbacks from different characteristics and levels, Clements was competent to extract what he could from those players.

Now, it's Jordan Love's turn to learn and improve his game. The Green Bay Packers are counting on it.

Photo: MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK