Even without any NFL football, the Packers continue to make news

The Packers added one of Aaron Rodgers' all-time favorite coaches to the staff and All-Pro linebacker De'Vondre Campbell has returned to Green Bay ahead of his contract voiding.

Good morning!

The first weekend of 2022 without NFL football has come and gone, but the Green Bay Packers remain in the news with moves on the coaching front, potential contract extensions, and all the expected rumor-mongering surrounding the quarterback.

Thank you for reading and supporting our coverage. You can also support our work by following us on Twitter:

Jason B. Hirschhorn: @by_JBH

Peter Bukowski: @Peter_Bukowski

The Leap: @TheLeapGB

Thanks for making The Leap a part of your day.

What should fans make of the Packers bringing back Tom Clements as the quarterbacks coach?

Jason B. Hirschhorn: As I wrote when the news broke of Tom Clements' return to Green Bay, the move doesn't automatically mean Aaron Rodgers has told the Packers that he will return for 2022. Still, one has to acknowledge the significance of the team hiring one of Rodgers' all-time favorite coaches, pulling him out of retirement to do so.

Back before Rodgers had a championship and multiple MVPs under his belt, Clements played one of the most significant roles in the quarterback's development. Rodgers acknowledged as much this past season, most recently in January.

"I learned from Tom Clements, we always had three mortal sins [as] the quarterback," Rodgers said. "Don't throw late down the middle. Don't make any blind throws and no premeditated decisions."

Rodgers mentioned the changes to the Packers' coaching staff when discussing the factors that he'll weigh as he decides his future. At the time, Nathaniel Hackett had already officially accepted the Denver Broncos' head-coaching position with Luke Getsy leaving to call offensive plays for the Chicago Bears. But bringing Clements back into the fold will take a lot of the sting out of those departures for Rodgers. Clements is his guy, and Rodgers loves to surround himself with his guys.

***

Peter Bukowski: Aaron back. OK, maybe not quite, but it’s close. It’s hard to imagine a 68-year-old coach coming out of retirement to come back to a team that let him walk for a head coach with whom he has no direct affiliation to coach Jordan Love. He did it for Kliff Kingsbury, but that was for Kyler Murray and a first-time head coach.

The Packers have neither.

This reeks of, “Aaron wanted him, so we hired him.” What’s more, for all the respect and love Rodgers has shown Clements over the years, one has to believe these two spoke about his future. To that end, it would be weird if Rodgers left him hanging, or suggested to Clements he’d be leaving. And the Packers presumably could have hired Clements in a week if the team already believed Rodgers would not be back.

This move doesn’t prove Rodgers is coming back, but it’s exactly the kind of move a team makes at the behest of the quarterback because he’s coming back. If it quacks like a duck …

Big deal or no deal: Za'Darius Smith's social-media scrub?

JBH: I suggested this question mostly because of the massive amount of reaction Za'Darius Smith's social-media activity garnered on Twitter. In general, a social scrub means little to nothing and fans should go about their business instead of losing their collective minds over it. As with everyone, athletes have more than one thing on their minds at any given time, and those on the outside can too frequently guess incorrectly as to the meaning — if one even exists — behind their actions.

All of that applies here. Perhaps Smith wanted to passively acknowledge that he has played his last down with the Packers? While we don't yet know how the front office plans to approach the Pro Bowl pass rusher this offseason, his contract, his surgically repaired back, and Green Bay's lack of cap space all suggest as much. But maybe he simply wanted to acknowledge that Mike Smith, his position coach, wouldn't return for the 2022 season.

Or perhaps the social scrub had nothing to do with any of those things. No one The Leap spoke with could confirm the intentions behind Za'Darius Smith's social-media choices, and that's just fine. Not every action requires a full referendum on the person involved.

***

PB: No deal in that we already assumed Big Z was gone in Green Bay. If he was told he would be traded (relatively unlikely) or released, hence the scrub, that’s not something that should come as a shock, especially for those reading this newsletter with any regularity.

No team wants an acrimonious divorce from a star player. It hurts future relations with stars and agents, so it’s not that this would be nothing if Smith is upset about how his career is likely ending in Green Bay, but in terms of what it means about his future, this doesn’t really affect how we predict whatever happens next.

De'Vondre Campbell posted to his Instagram he was in Green Bay on Sunday night ahead of the void deadline for his contract. If the Packers reach a multiyear extension, what does it mean for the team?

JBH: Many have jumped to the assumption that, should the Packers extend De'Vondre Campbell prior to the void deadline, Aaron Rodgers has locked into a return to Green Bay next season. That seems the most likely outcome, but the team has not quite reached the finish line as of yet.

More than anything, Campbell's extension would reflect the timing of the void trigger in his contract. The Packers may or may not yet know of Rodgers' intentions for next season as of Feb. 21. However, they do know that Campbell would become a free agent and cost $800,000 in cap space absent a new deal signed prior to the deadline. Green Bay has reasons to retain him beyond how his return affects Rodgers — both the Associated Press and Pro Football Writers of America voted Campbell to their All-Pro teams for a reason — and the core of the defense would only become more important should a change occur under center.

Of course, Campbell returning would have a positive impact on how Rodgers views the Packers. The talk around the NFL suggests the four-time MVP quarterback will sign a de facto two- to three-year deal with void years tacked on for cap purposes, and a Campbell extension will likely run alongside those seasons. The linebacker signing a new contract before the void years trigger would also save the Packers some money, and every dollar counts given their current cap situation.

So while Campbell signing a new deal wouldn't guarantee Rodgers will return, the former appears strongly linked with the latter.

***

PB: Defensively, Campbell brings something the Packers haven’t had at the off-ball linebacker position since that brief glimpse of Desmond Bishop. He’s an athletic, savvy player who can affect the game playing downhill, while also maintaining leverage in zone coverage and even, on occasion, manned up against tight ends and backs.

Did he fundamentally change the trajectory of the Packers defense as an All-Pro? No, which speaks to the muted impact of the position in the modern NFL. That said, he’s an elite player at his position and Green Bay generally doesn’t let those players walk out the door if they can avoid it.

There’s a bigger question here already being asked though by fans: what does it mean for Aaron Rodgers? And the short answer is, we don’t know. The longer answer is, we don’t know because the Packers probably wanted to keep Aaron anyway, but this could help Rodgers see the team is committed to keeping its elite talent, therefore enticing him to return.

This is a move the Packers probably want to make irrespective of what they think the future of Rodgers to be.

Parting shots

PB: There’s some belief the Pittsburgh Steelers could now be in the running for Deshaun Watson with Brian Flores now on staff. At least that’s what an NFL source told The Leap after the Flores hire was announced. The dot-connecting comes from reports Flores pushed for the Watson trade in Miami but ownership balked, creating tension between coach and administration.

Pittsburgh is believed to be a potential Aaron Rodgers suitor should he hit the market, so adding another quarterback to the mix certainly affects the way Rodgers’ trade value plays for the Steelers.

Watson still needs to clear significant hurdles to have a chance of playing in the NFL again, with a civil case involving over 20 allegations of sexual misconduct, but if there is some kind of resolution to those allegations, whether one satisfactory to the average fan or not, his path to playing football again would be cleared.

At this point, it’s nearly impossible to gauge the market for Watson precisely because we don’t know what the end of his court battle looks like, which makes it even more difficult to peg the interest of a team like Pittsburgh. This was merely someone in the league connecting a few dots. Take that for whatever it’s worth.