GREEN BAY – Former Green Bay Packers coach Rich Bisaccia didn’t step down from his special-teams coordinator position because he was retiring.

The Packers carefully worded their press release that announced his departure to say he was simply resigning his position.

So, a report that Bisaccia is close to becoming Clemson’s new special-teams coordinator wasn’t a total surprise.

According to TigerNet.com, the schools is going through final steps to hire the 65-year-old longtime NFL special-teams coordinator and he should be on board by the end of the week.

Bisaccia shocked the Packers when he told them he was leaving. The Packers announced his resignation Feb.16, a day after the final special-teams coordinator vacancy in the NFL had been filled.

Bisaccia had returned from vacation and was back in the Packers’ facility for a short while before informing the club he was stepping down. He did not provide any reason for why he was quitting but he said that he was looking forward to the next phase of his life.

Stepping down from his position with the Packers meant that he was leaving a year’s salary of an estimated $2 million on the table. Coach Matt LaFleur had extended Bisaccia’s deal a year after the 2024 season and might have done so again if Bisaccia agreed to return.

The Packers do not have to pay Bisaccia but retain his rights if he decides to return to the NFL. 

Bisaccia’s departure left LaFleur with a limited number of experienced special-teams coordinators to choose from. Eleven coordinators either switched teams or were hired during the end of the regular season and the time Bisaccia resigned.

LaFleur hired New York Giants assistant special teams coach Cam Achord, who was New England’s coordinator four years prior to serving in that position to replace Bisaccia. The Packers announced the move Feb. 27.

This article originally appeared on Packers News: Rich Bisaccia, who left Packers, reportedly close to Clemson job