The Los Angeles Rams announced that they have signed former Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews to a two-year contract.
Matthews was a first-round draft pick of the Packers in 2009 out of USC, so this is a homecoming for the former Trojan and Southern California native.
The 32-year-old has been named to six Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team in his 10-year NFL career. He is obviously not the player that he once was when he had 10 or more sacks in four of his first six seasons, but he can still be valuable for a Rams defense that struggled to get to the quarterback at times during the 2018 season.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the contract will be worth just over $16 million:
Two-year deal for LB Clay Matthews with the #Rams worth a max of $16.75 million, source says. He had more lucrative offers on the table but he just welcomed his third child and really wanted to play close to home. Plus, a shot at another ring doesn’t hurt.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 20, 2019
Matthews played in all 16 games for the first time in three years in 2018, recording 3.5 sacks, 12 quarterback hits, 43 total tackles and a forced fumble.
The Rams have been busy adding to their defense so far this offseason, re-signing fellow pass rusher Dante Fowler in addition to adding safety Eric Weddle in free agency.
With a lot of offensive positions going to returning players, the focus in the upcoming draft could also be on bolstering that defense for the 2019 season.
