Why Green Bay Valued the 'Moxie' of Sean Clifford
Following the Rose Bowl, former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford visited Iceland, played in two all-star games, began training for the NFL Combine, sold his NIL agency, didn't get invited to the Combine and poured his heart into Pro Day. All in three months. Clifford owns more callouses than most soon-to-be 25-year-old quarterbacks, which the Green Bay Packers appeared to value.
"[Clifford] brings just a lot of experience to our room," said Milt Hendrickson, Green Bay's director of football operations. "He's an upgrade to our overall roster that way."
The Packers selected Clifford in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, something Hendrickson felt inclined to explain. He called Clifford a "gamer" who impressed on his pre-draft visit and merited the pick. "I will say this in defense of Clifford that we got him at a good spot where we valued him," Hendrickson said.
Clifford, who will turn 25 four months before Packers starter Jordan Love, got in front of the age jokes long ago. He laughed when coach James Franklin referred to him as a 47-year-old starter and brushed aside boos at Beaver Stadium last season. So of course, Clifford will return to State College in July for a retirement party thrown by the State College Spikes minor league baseball team.
But Penn State's winningest quarterback and all-time leading passer burns doubt as fuel. He won the starting job at Penn State twice, beating out second-round draft pick Will Levis in the process, and regained the job after being benched in 2020. He has been knocked out of games, left one with a depleting illness, played half a season at half strength, ran a new offense through COVID and learned the lingo of four different offensive coordinators. He might be the most experienced college football quarterback ever drafted. That gives him a leg up on others in his position, which is pretty favorable in Green Bay.
The Packers have completely reset their quarterback room. They have three on the roster, one of whom is Danny Etling, a 28-year-old who has been on a half-dozen practice squads, including one with the New England Patriots as a wide receiver, and spent time in the CFL. Clifford will get a real, tangible look at making the roster and serving as Green Bay's backup, at least unless and until the team signs a veteran as insurance behind Love.
For Clifford, this is among the best-case scenarios for which he could have planned. The Packers appear to value him, he enters a real competition for the No. 2 spot and carries a substantial opportunity into training camp. Clifford has an excellent chance to be on Green Bay's roster next season.
"Sean is a guy that is really intelligent, he's played a lot of games, he's got some athleticism, and he's a natural thrower. All the things we look for in quarterbacks, he possesses," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said.
They're also getting a veteran who's been playing the underdog for six years. Like all quarterbacks who feel (or are) undervalued, Clifford is growing that chip on his shoulder. But he does so professionally. Having experienced every corner of college football, Clifford understands his limitations while setting himself no limits. Given this opportunity, he'll extract the most of it.
"I just need to be in a camp." Clifford said at Penn State's Pro Day in March. "I just need to be in a practice with the pros, because I know I’m a pro. I can come in and add value to a team. I know that more than anything. I still think I can play in the league 100 percent."
Hendrickson described Clifford using the word "moxie," one several Penn State quarterbacks are familiar. Matt McGloin had it, Trace McSorley lived in it and Clifford is riding it to Green Bay. Flaws and all, the word suits him — and it might carry him to an unexpected NFL career.
"He's played in big games," Hendrickson said. "That kid coming into the environment in Lambeau, it's not going to be too big for him. That experience factor, along with some of the moxie he has, to me it's a culmination of who he is."
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