Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark celebrates a playoff sack in 2023.
The Kansas City Chiefs roster is nearly set for training camp and the 2023 preseason, but there could still be one or two veteran additions on the way.
One potential rumored reunion has been with key defensive team leader Frank Clark. Christian Martinez of UMKC Roo News tweeted that “Frank Clark is looking to get a deal done with the Kansas City Chiefs, per source.” That was on May 25.
Needless to say, no update has occurred since then — until now.
“I’d say there’s about a 35 percent chance the Chiefs re-sign Clark, either just before camp or into the first week of camp,” The Athletic’s KC insider Nate Taylor predicted during a mailbag article on May 31. “Clark is beloved by his former teammates, and [Chris] Jones has urged the team in the past couple weeks to sign his close friend and former pass-rushing partner.”
“Meanwhile, Clark could see returning to the Chiefs as a better situation than joining a new team that is either a fringe contender or rebuilding and is in need of a veteran who can mentor younger teammates,” Taylor added.
Chris Jones Extension Could Free Up Room for Chiefs to Re-Sign Frank Clark
It’s somewhat ironic that Jones has been campaigning for Clark’s return harder than anyone, being that the game-wrecker D-tackle is likely also the solution to the cap space hurdle that Kansas City currently faces.
“The Chiefs entered Wednesday with just $652,557 in salary-cap space, the second-lowest figure in the league, according to Over The Cap,” Taylor wrote during a different mailbag response on May 31. “The most logical way for the Chiefs to move forward [with a veteran addition] would be to sign superstar defensive tackle Chris Jones to a lucrative contract extension, one that is expected to make him one of the league’s highest-paid defenders.”
“In doing so, the team could create additional salary-cap space for this upcoming season,” the KC media member noted.
So, extend Jones, re-sign Clark and win another Super Bowl. It sounds like the perfect plan on paper, but can general manager Brett Veach crunch the numbers in a way that works out for everyone involved?
Per OTC, Clark earned a little over $7.836 million in 2022. He’s expected to make significantly less in guaranteed money this year.
NFL Analyst Urges Saints to Sign Frank Clark
During a Bleacher Report article on May 31, NFL analyst Maurice Moton encouraged the New Orleans Saints to sign Clark as a post-June 1 move.
“Clearly, the New Orleans Saints value pass-rushers,” Moton reasoned. “Since 2018, they’ve selected Marcus Davenport—trading up for him—Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey in the first two rounds of their drafts. Unfortunately for them, they haven’t seen enough production out of the first two players, who were Day 1 picks.”
“While Foskey could make an impact in his rookie season, the Saints should add an established veteran to line up opposite Cameron Jordan, who’s going into his age-34 term,” he went on. “At 29 years old, Frank Clark is on the back end of his prime years, but he could help a pass rush and make plays in the backfield.”
Moton cited Clark’s “39 tackles, eight for loss, five sacks and 24 [QB] pressures,” not including 2.5 postseason sacks and three more tackles for a loss.
“With Jordan and Clark on the edges, the Saints could significantly boost a defensive unit that finished with the fourth-lowest pressure rate (17.5 percent) last season,” the NFL writer concluded.
Outside of a reunion with Kansas City, Clark’s free agent market has been awfully quiet this spring.