Packers QB coach Tom Clements credits Aaron Rodgers for his return to Green Bay

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Tom Clements hasn't lost his deadpan delivery. When asked what brought him back to Green Bay, the once-retired quarterbacks coach gave a one-word answer. «Delta,» he said, referring to one of the airlines that services Austin Straubel International Airport.

In fact, the real answer was two words: Aaron Rodgers.

When the Packers lost quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy, who became the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator this offseason, Rodgers began his efforts to talk his old coach out of retirement and eventually connected him with coach Matt LaFleur.

«It was after the season that Aaron contacted me,» said Clements, whose first stint with the Packers was 2006-16. «He had talked to Matt, [who] wanted to gauge my interest in coming back.

»I said, 'Yeah, I'd talk about it' and then talked with Matt a couple times. We got together, talked, talked a little bit more with Aaron and it just worked out."

All the while, Rodgers had not made public his decision on whether he would return to the Packers for the 2022 season. That didn't come until nearly three weeks later.

«That was my first question to him, 'What are you thinking?'» Clements said Tuesday. «And we just talked about it and I felt good, fairly confident that he was coming back. The team and he have had some great years and still [have] a good chance to contend for the Super Bowl.»

Clements said he knows why Rodgers came back.

«I know that's what he wants: He wants another Super Bowl,» Clements said. «And that was one of the things that intrigued me also.»

Clements last coached in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals in 2020, then spent last season in semi-retirement. He had no plans to return.

«I didn't have the itch to come back,» the 68-year-old said. «It