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(AP) — Clay Matthews looked up into the Lambeau Field suites to find his parents before walking down the stadium tunnel for what might be the last time as a member of the Green Bay Packers.An offseason of change awaits in Titletown following a second straight year without a playoff appearance.A coaching search is already underway after Mike McCarthy was fired in early December, which leaves the futures of upcoming free agents like Matthews up in the air.Matthews, one of the last remaining links to Green Bay’s 2010 Super Bowl season, described the exit from the field following Sunday’s 31-0 loss to Detroit as “a little bittersweet … I was waving up to my parents up in the suite.”“So (my kids) will be waiting for me, wife, family and … I’ll carry on as Dad,” Matthews said.Players cleaned out their lockers on Monday and started meeting with interim head coach Joe Philbin and assistants for exit interviews. Philbin, who plans to interview for the position on a permanent basis, is handling the wrap-up responsibilities that come with the job, at least for the next few days.At 6-9-1 [url=https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Aaron-Rodgers-Jersey]Aaron Rodgers Jersey[/url] , Green Bay finished under .500 for a second straight year. The Packers went 2-2 under Philbin, finally winning a road game in Week 16 after losing their first seven away from Lambeau.The affable Philbin seems to have won over some key players in the locker room with his leadership style, demeanor and dry humor. Rodgers and receiver Davante Adams have each said that they hope Philbin stays, though they don’t expect to be part of the decision.“Joe’s funny, man, you’ve just got to get used to his type of personality,” running back Jamaal Williams said Monday. “Joe’s a good person … caring, always trying to look out for everybody.”The offensive coordinator for the 2010 Super Bowl team in his first stint with Green Bay, Philbin has familiarity with the franchise and Rodgers. He coached the Miami Dolphins for three-plus seasons without a playoff appearance before being fired four games into the 2015 season.“While it’s important that (team executives) do know me, there (are) some things we haven’t discussed. I want to present who I am [url=https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Randall-Cobb-Jersey]Randall Cobb Color Rush Jersey[/url] , because it’s not going to work if they don’t like who I am,” Philbin said Monday. “I think fit and alignment in this particular situation (with team executives) is absolutely vital. And if it’s not, it won’t work.”The 57-year-old Philbin, who has coached for more than three decades, is also aware that the NFL is a business. In a team meeting before players began the chore of packing their belongings, Philbin said he “talked to them about embracing change, whatever that may be and not looking at it as a negative, looking at it as a positive.”Regardless of whether the Packers stick with Philbin, the next coach will at least have Rodgers as a solid foundation on which to begin his tenure. The two-time MVP played through a left knee injury sustained in the season opener against the Bears, and then dealt with a sore groin late in the season before getting knocked out of the Lions game with a concussion.Rodgers’ 62.3 percent completion percentage was his lowest since 2015 (60.7 percent). His 25 touchdown passes were a low for a season in which he played at least 15 games [url=https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Corey-Linsley-Jersey]https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Corey-Linsley-Jersey[/url] , though so were his two interceptions.The emergence of Adams into an elite receiver helped. But injuries to Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison forced the Packers to turn to rookies perhaps earlier than expected to fill the void at the position.Besides Matthews, Cobb is the other notable veteran facing free agency. Given the youth in the receiving corps, Cobb’s familiarity with Rodgers and ability to play the slot might be reasons to bring the receiver back.As for Matthews, he finished with a career-low 3½ sacks in his 10th season with the Packers, which was also the first under the tweaked 3-4 scheme installed by first-year coordinator Mike Pettine.“All my kids are doing awesome out here, we love the people, we’re settled here. It would be awesome if we stayed,” Matthews said. “But as I continue to say, these are uncharted times and we’ll kind of see what the future holds.” Long-time Packers linebacker Clay Matthews has returned to the site of his college career for the second phase of his pro career. And for the first time ever, he’s working with legendary defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.So what has Matthews seen so far from a guy who has gotten so much out of his defenses?“One of the things I noticed is he puts his guys in positions to succeed [url=https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Jaire-Alexander-Jersey]Jaire Alexander Jersey[/url] ,” Matthews told reporters on Monday. “You can’t help but for me personally look at what he was able to do in Denver with Von [Miller] and DeMarcus [Ware]. DeMarcus serving nine, 10 years with Dallas and then going over there and having the same amount of success.“One of the things he allows us to do as playmakers is to play to our ability. Sometimes when you’re in certain defenses they want you to do certain things, but here, it’s all about making plays and playing to your ability and making plays. He allows us to do that and I think that’s what allows his defenses to be so successful.”With so much focus on the team’s offense — and, specifically, its failure to score more than three points in Super Bowl LIII — it’s easy to overlook the fact that the L.A. defense held Tom Brady and company to a mere 13. And the defense hasn’t really changed all that much, with defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh and safety Lamarcus Joyner gone but Matthews and safety Eric Weddle arriving. The defense should still be pretty good, which could help make a difference in plenty of games if the offense dips at all in 2019.