Latest news with #ClayMatthews
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Clay Matthews Predicts Lions Will Win NFC North Again in 2025
The Detroit Lions have dominated the NFC North over the last two seasons. Between 2023 and 2024, the Lions have gone 10-2 against opponents in their division and won a pair of division titles. That success has come despite the NFC North becoming the NFL's toughest division last season. Advertisement The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings both finished with double-digit wins and the Vikings were fighting for the division until Week 18. Now things could get even tougher in 2025. The Vikings and Chicago Bears both made major changes to their offensive lines. The Bears also overhauled their coaching staff, bringing in former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their head coach. The Packers are hoping they finally got Jordan Love a true WR1 to throw the ball to. Detroit Lions logo at Ford FieldKirby Lee-Imagn Images Even with how tough the division has become, a longtime Lions rival has predicted that Detroit is going to win the NFC North for a third consecutive year in 2025. Advertisement During a recent appearance on the "Bussin With the Boys" podcast, former Packers All-Pro Clay Matthews predicted the Lions would win their division again next season. I think Detroit. I'm interested to see how buddy from Michigan does for Minnesota. They've obviously got a great team, the Vikings, but Detroit, they've just got that it factor right now until someone dethrones them. The Packers are right there. I think that'll be the best division. The Lions are currently the popular pick to win the North in 2025. DraftKings Sportsbook has set their line at +140 to win the division. They are also the betting favorites in five of their six matchups against divisional opponents. The Lions haven't done much to improve this offseason to maintain the gap between them and the rest of the division, but they should be even better in 2025 than they were in 2024 if they can just stay healthy. Advertisement Still, it's surprising to hear a Packers legend predict that the Lions will be the team to win the NFC North this season. Related: All-Pro Named the Most Talented Lions Player Who Could Still Be Cut This Offseason Related: Five Lions Ranked in Top 25 Best Players Under 25 Years Old
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ex-Packers star Clay Matthews reveals how he pulled off Donald Trump stunt at NFL Draft
Former Green Bay Packers star Clay Matthews has opened up on his viral Donald Trump stunt at the NFL Draft after aiming a brutal dig at the Chicago Bears. Matthews, who won the Super Bowl during his 10-year stint with the Packers, stole the mic after joining NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Lil Wayne on stage to open the draft in Green Bay last month. In a hilarious moment, the 39-year-old stepped up to the podium to claim he had a message to read from the president himself, only to instead fire shots at his beloved team's arch-rivals. 'I just got off the phone with the president, Donald Trump. He asked me to pass a message along to all 32 NFL franchises. Let me tell you what it reads here, alright?' Matthews began. He then continued while showing the crowd a fake letter: 'It says, 'My fellow Americans, the Bears still suck!' The adoring Packers fans in attendance went wild over the savage four-word jibe aimed at their longtime bitter foes. And a few weeks on, Matthews has revealed how he went about planning the stunt during an appearance on the Bussin' With The Boys podcast. 'I looked at last year's (NFL Draft in Detroit) and it was Calvin Johnson, Barry Sanders, Aiden Hutchinson, Jared Goff, and I thought it was great. You got a mixture of legends and current players and but they all went up there, and they just screamed into the mic,' he said. 'I was just like I don't really just want to get up there and be like Green Bay make some noise so I was like let's make this memorable.' Despite Goodell being 'super cool' about it when they returned backstage, Matthews admits he kept the NFL in the dark about the Trump reference out of fear they would try to shut it down. 'I didn't tell anybody because I knew the NFL wasn't going to approve it,' he added. 'I knew in today's political climate you mentioned one political affiliation, left, right, like it's just not going to go over well with the NFL.' Clay reveald his wife Casey helped him prepare the fake letter with Trump's face photoshopped on it, before he went on stage and executed it perfectly in front of the thousands of fans in attendance and even more watching around the world. 'Execution, delivery, everything was on point, Matthews said. 'I was happy with how it landed the boys all behind me they enjoyed it they had no idea, so they were you know equally as fired up. 'You know anytime you can take a chance to put the Bears down you got to take it.' Matthews himself was the 26th overall pick when he was drafted by Green Bay in 2009. He went on to total 83.5 sacks in his Packers career, making the Pro Bowl six times.
Fox News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Ex-NFL star Clay Matthews dishes on hilarious Trump stunt at draft
Green Bay Packers great Clay Matthews pulled a hilarious stunt at the NFL Draft in Green Bay last month. Matthews, 38, was on stage to kick off the draft with other former Packers' stars and superfan Lil' Wayne. He stepped up the microphone and said he had a "message" to deliver from President Donald Trump. "I just got off the phone with the president, Donald Trump. He asked me to pass a message along to all 32 NFL franchises. Let me tell you what it reads here, alright?" Matthews began. "It says, 'My fellow Americans, the Bears still suck!'" Matthews' stunt sent the Green Bay crowd and social media into a frenzy. The idea for the stunt began when he first found out he was going to be on stage. "I looked at last year's (NFL Draft in Detroit) and it was Calvin Johnson, Barry Sanders, Aiden Hutchinson, Jared Goff, and I thought it was great. You got a mixture of legends and current players and but they all went up there, and they just screamed into the mic. I was just like I don't really just want to get up there and be like Green Bay make some noise so I was like let's make this memorable." Matthews said during a recent appearance on "Bussin' With the Boys." The former Packers star certainly made it memorable. Matthews received his wife's blessing to go ahead with the plan, and then she provided some assistance as she photoshopped Trump's letterhead onto the paper. Matthews did not tell the NFL what he was going to do, because he did not think the league would approve it. "I didn't tell anybody because I knew the NFL wasn't going to approve it. I knew in today's political climate you mentioned one political affiliation, left, right, like it's just not going to go over well with the NFL," Matthews said. As Matthews waited for his moment backstage, the nerves set in as no one knew what was about to happen. However, it went smoothly. "Execution, delivery, everything was on point. I was happy with how it landed the boys all behind me they enjoyed it they had no idea, so they were you know equally as fired up you know anytime you can take a chance to put the Bears down you got to take it," Matthews said. While it went smoothly onstage, Matthews was worried about the potential repercussions from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell backstage. "I went backstage I'm like, 'Oh now I got to face I got to face the wrath of Goodell and everybody else," Matthews said. However, the former Packers' great said Goodell was "super cool" about it, and they asked to take a picture of the letter to put on social media. While it went well, Matthews said he would probably never be invited back for the epic stunt. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
New York Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Clay Matthews, invoking Donald Trump, trolls Bears at NFL Draft
The Athletic has live coverage of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. While former NFL players trolling their rivals has become an annual ritual of the NFL Draft, a message (real or fake) from the president is not. Former Packers linebacker Clay Matthews squeezed both into a brief speech while on stage at Thursday's draft in Green Bay, Wis. Advertisement Matthews, appearing alongside Roger Goodell before the start of the first round, apologized to the NFL commissioner for going 'off script' before sharing his 'message.' 'I just got off the phone with the president, Donald Trump,' he said. 'He asked me to pass a message along to all 32 NFL franchises. Let me tell you what it reads here, alright? 'It says, 'My fellow Americans, the Bears still suck!'' Matthews unfurled a piece of paper to show the joke to the roaring crowd. In addition to Goodell, who was met with boos by the crowd in another draft tradition, Matthews appeared alongside former Packers stars Jordy Nelson, Mason Crosby, Ahman Green and James Jones — and rapper Lil Wayne, a noted Packers fan. His Bears ribbing was the latest notable moment of a player teasing a rival at the draft, joining past interactions such as former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson egging on a booing crowd of Phialdelphia Eagles fans at the 2017 draft and ex-Eagle David Akers reciprocating with a dig at the Cowboys the following year. Matthews, 38, enjoyed a decade of success against the Bears while a Packer from 2009 to 2018. He ended his career with a 16-3 record against Chicago, producing 9 1/2 sacks against Bears quarterbacks in the 19 games.
New York Post
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Clay Matthews rips Bears in wild introduction to 2025 NFL Draft
Despite being out of the NFL for over five years, Clay Matthews still has the energy for the Bears. During his opening remarks at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, the longtime Packers linebacker took the chance to roast Chicago, holding up a sheet of paper that read, 'The Bears still suck.' Matthews, 38, appeared very energetic during his time on the stage, yelling and jumping around as fans cheered him on in Green Bay. 3 Clay Matthews opened up a sheet of paper that read 'The Bears still suck.' Kirby Lee-Imagn Images 'I just got off the phone with the President Donald Trump,' Matthews belted. 'He asked me to pass a message along to all 32 NFL franchises — let me tell you what it reads. It says 'My fellow Americans, the Bears still suck.'' Follow The Post's live coverage of the 2025 NFL Draft The 2010 Super Bowl champion was alongside NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, rapper and Packers fan Lil Wayne, and a group of former Green Bay players. This year's draft being in Green Bay serves as a full-circle moment for Matthews, who was drafted by the Packers in 2009. Matthews recently opened up about his experience on draft day and how his mother thought that he was selected by the Patriots. 3 Clay Matthews speaks during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Getty Images 'Green Bay called and traded up in the Draft, so everybody knows I'm going to Green Bay – it flashes up on the screen,' Matthews told Fox News Digital. 'But my mom, she somehow missed it and thought I was going to New England. 'So, for about an hour or so afterwards – now, mind you, this is prime New England, Super Bowl, Tom Brady – she was fired up,' he said. 'About an hour later when she found out I was going to Green Bay, she was like, 'What?! We're not going to New England?!' I didn't get all worked up, though. Two years later, we won the Super Bowl, I had amazing success during my 10 years [there].' 3 Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers warms up on the field prior to the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on January 15, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. Getty Images Matthews spent nearly the entirety of his NFL career with the Packers, playing 10 out of his 11 seasons with the franchise. During his time in Green Bay, Matthews reached the Pro Bowl six times and was named to the All-Pro team in 2010.
