Coaching staff: Clements won’t return next season.
Assistant was part of offense since 2006
Green Bay — Though Mike McCarthy said he had not completed the full evaluation of his assistants, the Green Bay Packers coach did announce one change to the staff for 2017.
Tom Clements, an associate head coach/offense, will not be returning for a 12th season.
“Tom Clements is going to move on to some other interests,” McCarthy said Thursday during his season-ending news conference.
An original member of McCarthy’s coaching staff, Clements held multiple roles during his tenure with the Packers.
He began as quarterbacks coach from 2006-’11 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2012. He was elevated to his most recent title before the 2015 season after McCarthy excused himself of play-calling duties.
Clements, who had worked previously as the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills, entered 2015 as the play caller and spent the entire off-season preparing for that role. But McCarthy reclaimed his old job in mid-December after the offense lagged for the majority of the season.
From that point forward, Clements’ exact role was difficult to discern. With McCarthy calling plays, Edgar Bennett and Alex Van Pelt handled the two primary roles on the offensive side of the ball. Bennett served as offensive coordinator while Van Pelt worked with the quarterbacks.
Clements became more of an auxiliary figure who contributed to the offense as a whole. He often worked closely with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a player he bonded with during his time as a position coach.
But with his contract set to expire, Clements and the Packers are parting ways.
“I’d like to take this moment to thank Tom for an incredible 11 years here, and what we were able to accomplish during that time, and really the impact that he had not only with us as a coaching staff, but with Aaron Rodgers as a quarterback,” McCarthy said.
“I know Aaron is very appreciative of what he’s been able to establish with Tom, both professionally and personally. So that will be the one change to our staff.”
Shields hires high-profile lawyer: New York attorney Peter M. Frankel, who has represented numerous athletes and people in the music industry, is working with Packers cornerback Sam Shields on his marjuana possession case.
Shields, 29, was charged two weeks ago with possession of marijuana and of drug paraphernalia after an Oct. 19 investigation of the suspected delivery of maijuana through the mail to his Ashwaubenon apartment.
Frankel’s past clients include New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress after he accidentally shot himself in the thigh in a Manhattan nightclub in 2008; New York Jets receiver Braylon Edwards on an OWI charge; one of Justin Bieber’s bodyguards charged in 2011 with shoving a paparazzo; and various members of Wu-Tang Clan.
Shields is scheduled to appear in court again April 24.