The Packers’ former Pro Bowl edge rusher is reportedly returning home to California."On the same day the Green Bay Packers saw a long-time veteran exit the organization in Randall Cobb http://www.packerslockerroom.com/authentic-marcedes-lewis-jersey , they will also lose a key defensive cog of the past decade.NFL insider Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter report that Clay Matthews has inked a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams, ending a 10-year run in Green Bay. Matthews himself confirmed the signing with a post on his personal Twitter account: For the Packers’ all-time leading sack artist, the move represents a return home to California for the Northridge native on the heels of the Rams re-signing fellow edge rusher Dante Fowler to a one-year contract last week. While the terms of the deal have not been fully disclosed, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network indicates Matthews’ deal is worth a maximum of $16.75 million.After Green Bay’s signing of Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith to long-term, lucrative contracts on the second day of free agency, the departure of Matthews seemed inevitable. The former USC Trojan earned six Pro Bowl nods with the Packers in addition to First-Team All Pro honors in 2010 as a integral piece of the team’s championship run. The former 2009 first round pick’s long-flowing hair, intensity, and knack for making big plays early in his career quickly made Matthews a fan favorite in Green Bay. Matthews burst onto the scene as a rookie, notching 10 sacks and being voted to his first Pro Bowl. His 13.5-sack season the following year, along with a critical forced fumble in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLV, cemented his notoriety around the league. The Packers signed Matthews to a five-year Jermaine Whitehead Jersey , $66 million extension in 2013.But injuries slowed Matthews in recent seasons, with his last double-digit sack season coming in 2014. Despite playing in all 16 games last season, Matthews finished with just 3.5 sacks, the lowest total of his career. There was speculation that Matthews’ best fit in Green Bay might come with a move to inside linebacker, a position he tested out in parts of the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Still, it figured to take a hometown discount on Matthews’ part to keep the Packers’ legend within the organization.Matthews finishes his Packers tenure with 83.5 sacks, 121 tackles for a loss, 15 forced fumbles, six interceptions, five fumble recoveries, and three touchdowns.Today in Packers history: Brett Favre signs richest NFL contract to date While contract extension talks between the Green Bay Packers and star quarterback Aaron Rodgers await a resolution Womens Kevin King Jersey , it’s easy to say that the franchise has been blessed with stellar quarterback play over the past two and a half decades.It’s also fair to acknowledge how time has impacted the dollars and cents of all-pro contract extensions.Rewinding back to this date in 1997, the Packers locked up Hall of Famer Brett Favre to a then-league record seven-year contract worth $47.25 million, including a $12 million signing bonus. That deal paid the 27-year old Favre slightly higher than Barry Sanders and Troy Aikman, who had agreed to similar contracts in prior seasons. For Favre, the contract came on the back-end of a 1996 season in which he led the franchise to its first championship since the 1967 season. He earned his second consecutive NFL Most Valuable Player award after passing for 3,899 yards and 39 touchdowns during a 13-3 campaign. Favre also re-inked just in time for the 1997 season, one which saw the Packers once again reach the Super Bowl and Favre bring home another MVP honor.Favre’s record-setting deal in 1997, which seemed to satisfy the all-pro’s wish to finish his career in Green Bay, would be followed up by a second in 2001, three years prior to the end of his first extension. Termed a “lifetime contract,” Favre signed on for another 10 years and around $100 million with Green Bay. Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel asserted at the time that “as long as Favre plays football Jermaine Whitehead Jersey White , it will be in a Packers uniform.” Of course, this contract would not provide such an assurance to Packers fans in the long run.Looking forward to 2018, the Packers find themselves in the midst of another monumental contract negotiation with a future Hall of Fame quarterback. While Rodgers has two MVP awards and one Super Bowl appearance to his name, he is destined for an extension with an annual salary three times his former teammate. After Matt Ryan’s extension this offseason for five years and $150 million, including a staggering $100 million guaranteed, Rodgers is primed for a deal averaging more than $30 million per season. He may seek a new precedent with an “adjustable deal” or he may not. But it can no longer be assumed that any deal represents a lifetime one, especially in Green Bay.Still, more than 20 years to this date, we remember Favre as the heroic Packer quarterback that helped set the bar for quarterback contracts. Even with one averaging just under $7 million per year.