Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid shakes hands with Las Vegas Raiders counterpart Josh McDaniels in 2022.
Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark is trending around the NFL community on social media on October 11, after the Denver Broncos restructured his contract in order to turn him into a more appealing trade candidate.
NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo announced the restructure details — “a pay cut that takes his $3.5 million base salary down to the minimum the rest of the way $841k” — just before ESPN’s Field Yates informed that the Broncos plan to either trade Clark or release him, per his sources.
Many within Chiefs Kingdom have expressed interest in a Clark reunion over the past week or so, including former linemate Chris Jones. Having said that, if fans are expecting Kansas City to sign the veteran for pennies on the dollar after he’s cut, one NFL insider isn’t quite sure Clark will even make it to the open market.
“If you’re the Chiefs, do you offer the Broncos an asset just to keep Frank Clark out of Las Vegas?” FanBuzz insider Matt Lombardo voiced on X. “Feels like Denver has the opportunity to incite a bidding war here …”
Followers were immediately skeptical of Lombardo’s comment, but when you dive deeper into what he’s saying, this is the only realistic scenario where the Broncos trade Clark inside the division (more below).
Why Would the Chiefs & Raiders Outbid Each Other for Frank Clark in Trade With Broncos?
Clark has not been good this year, but to be fair, he’s barely played after a hip injury early on and the emergence of younger edge rushers in Denver after that. In the right system, you’re probably getting the same old Frank Clark that helped the Chiefs win a championship a season ago.
The Kansas City coaching staff and locker room both love “the Shark” — and he’s grown on the fanbase too — so there’s little doubt that KC would at least be interested in getting Clark back on the cheap.
The Raiders are down a pass rusher after releasing Chandler Jones, however, and “have been busy making calls around the league” looking for a replacement according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. If Denver is open to either destination, interest is certainly believable.
Now, “bidding war” was a bit strong of a term from Lombardo. If he means any sort of draft capital rather than nothing — which is what the Broncos would get if they release him — then yes, a low-tier bidding war could occur.
For example, the Chiefs could offer a conditional seventh rounder and the Raiders could top them with a sixth rounder or some sort of pick swap. That feels possible and would technically qualify as a bidding war between the two AFC West rivals.
It’s also the only reason the Broncos would trade Clark inside the division, as mentioned above. If the Chiefs and Raiders offer something — compared to the rest of the league, who might just be comfortable waiting — it would make sense for a rebuilding franchise to begrudgingly take what they can get for a failed free agent signing.
Of course, if a third team not named the Los Angeles Chargers got involved in Clark’s trade market, Denver could happily accept and snub both rivals in the process. It’s an interesting situation that you rarely see in sports, with three division-mates connected to the same player via trade.
Ex-Chiefs’ Frank Clark Will Not Play vs. KC on Thursday Night Football
As it turns out, the two-time Kansas City Super Bowl champion pass rusher will not face his old team on Thursday Night Football. Clark was officially ruled out by the Broncos on October 11, due to an “illness.”
At the time, this supposed “illness” seemed fishy, but now those theories have been all but confirmed as Clark was the subject of trade or cut rumors on October 12.
That means the veteran won’t ever suit up against the Chiefs in a Broncos uniform, as initially expected this offseason. It’d be even more ironic if he’s traded back to KC sometime after the Thursday night affair of Week 6.