GREEN BAY – It's official. The Packers have promoted Sean Mannion to quarterbacks coach following the retirement of Tom Clements.
Here are five things to know about the new Packers QB coach:
- Mannion is a former third-round pick who played eight NFL seasons.
The St. Louis Rams selected Mannion 89th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was the fourth QB to be drafted behind Jameis Winston (1), Marcus Mariota (2) and Garrett Grayson (75).
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound quarterback made 10 appearances over his four seasons with the Rams, who moved to Los Angeles during his second season.
Mannion made his only start for the Rams against San Francisco on Dec. 31, 2017. With quarterback Jared Goff and most of L.A.'s starters resting, Mannion completed 20-of-34 passes for 169 yards. In his final game with the Rams, Mannion backed up Jared Goff during Super Bowl LII.
Mannion bounced back and forth between the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks over the next five seasons.
- Matt LaFleur swiped Mannion from Chicago last year.
LaFleur coached Mannion in Los Angeles during his one-year stint as the Rams' offensive coordinator in 2017. The two stayed in contact with one another after LaFleur left to become offensive coordinator and play-caller in Tennessee the next year.
When Mannion appeared at Lambeau Field as the Vikings' backup quarterback in 2023, he informed LaFleur of his intention to go into coaching and later reached out to LaFleur while prepping for an interview to join the Chicago Bears' coaching staff.
Impressed with Mannion's presentation, LaFleur hired Mannion as an offensive assistant after his interview in Chicago.
"He showed me what he was going to present, and I told him, 'Wow, that's pretty good, I think you should come up to Green Bay right when you're done doing that interview,'" LaFleur said last February. "I'm surprised they let him out of the building. They tried to get him, but I guess we had more to offer."
- Mannion apprenticed under Clements, prepped Malik Willis.
In his role as offensive assistant, Mannion worked closely with Clements, Jordan Love and the rest of Green Bay's quarterbacks. Clements spoke highly of Mannion's coaching prospects while addressing the media last May.
"He has the experience of playing in the NFL for a number of years," said Clements of Mannion. "He can relay to Jordan (Love) and the other QBs certain approaches during the game or with particular plays. I think it's a benefit, he played in this offense basically, so he knows the plays, knows the ins and outs of them. So, he can provide those guys with some finer details that will help."
Mannion and assistant quarterbacks coach Connor Lewis teamed to help Malik Willis get up to speed on the Packers' playbook after he was traded to Green Bay on Aug. 27.
Willis made two starts in place of an injured Love, with the Packers winning both as well as another game Love exited with an injury. In eight appearances, Willis completed 40 of 54 passes for 550 yards and three touchdowns (124.8 passer rating) while running for 138 yards and a TD.
- He threw his first NFL touchdown at Lambeau Field.
With mounting injuries for the Vikings at quarterback, Mannion made his third and final NFL start on Jan. 2, 2022, against the Packers.
While Minnesota lost 37-10, Mannion threw his first career touchdown pass to K.J. Osborn through the heart of Green Bay's defense at the end of the third quarter. He finished 22 of 36 passing for 189 yards and a TD (84.1 passer rating).
- Mannion was a three-star recruit when he committed to Oregon State.
A native of Pleasanton, Calif., Mannion was a three-year starter at Foothill High School. He finished as the program's all-time leading passer after throwing for 3,521 yards and 27 touchdowns during his senior year.
Mannion chose Oregon State over offers from San Diego State, San Jose State, UCLA and Washington State. He started 43 games for the Beavers, completing 1,187 of 1,838 passes (64.6%) for a Pac-12-record 13,600 yards and 83 touchdowns.
