Tom Clements Set A Bar That Could Stand the Test Of Time

Tom Clements spent most of his playing career in Canada before retiring in 1987. Five years later, he became Notre Dame's quarterbacks coach. He held the same role with the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills before being promoted to Buffalo's offensive coordinator in 2005.

In 2006, he joined the Green Bay Packers as their quarterbacks coach.

In his first year coaching Brett Favre, the quarterback threw 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, and the Packers finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. The following year, they improved to 13-3, with Favre throwing for 4,155 yards — the most since 1998 — along with 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Favre’s passer rating jumped by over 20 points, and he achieved the second-highest completion percentage of his career, earning All-Pro honors.

Clements played a pivotal role in developing Aaron Rodgers, who succeeded Brett Favre as Green Bay’s starting quarterback in 2008. Under Clements' guidance, Rodgers evolved into a much different quarterback than in college, especially mechanically. Over their 10 years together, Rodgers earned three MVPs, three All-Pro selections, and six Pro Bowl honors. Moreover, people often regard him as the most talented passer in NFL history.

At the end of the 2016 season, former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy announced that Clements' contract had expired and he would move on to pursue other opportunities. In 2019, Kliff Kingsbury hired Clements as his passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Clements served as the primary offensive assistant because Kingsbury didn’t have an offensive coordinator.

Clements retired from coaching in January 2021. However, he returned to assist Aaron Rodgers in his final season with the Packers and to help Jordan Love transition to the starting role in 2023.

In his first year as a starter, Love threw for 4,159 yards and ranked second in passing touchdowns with 32. His performance in the Wild Card round against the Dallas Cowboys showcased his growth, particularly in handling pressure and blitzes, and his ability to use the hard count to identify disguised pressures.

Love occasionally struggled in Year 2, but he didn’t regress. He ranked ninth in EPA/play, seventh in adjusted EPA/play, 10th in EPA plus completion percentage over expected, and fifth in adjusted net yards per passing attempt.

Clements worked with three generations of Packers quarterbacks. The first was a Hall of Famer, and the second a future first-ballot inductee. While it's too early to consider Love on the same level as Favre and Rodgers, he has become a viable quarterback with significant upside, showing flashes of

However, Love will have to reach that level without Clements. On Tuesday, Matt LaFleur

Tom Clements' name is inseparable from the legacy of great quarterback play in Green Bay. Under his guidance, Packers quarterbacks earned three MVPs, four All-Pro selections, and seven Pro Bowl honors. He helped Favre deliver an All-Pro season in 2007. He shaped Rodgers into one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and was instrumental in Love’s growth into a dependable starter.

By the end of the 2030s, Green Bay could potentially have a three-peat of Hall of Fame quarterbacks, each coached by Clements. Few coaches can match his accomplishments, and he unquestionably deserves a place in the Packers Hall of Fame.