New York Jets safety Chuck Clark got seriously injured during practice last week.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said it would be “kind of surprising” if he ends up playing for the Jets during the 2023 season.
“I just know that it’s believed to be serious and that it would be kind of surprising if he winds up playing this year unfortunately,” Rosenblatt explained on “The Can’t-Wait Podcast.”
.@ZackBlatt said it would be ‘kind of surprising’ if Chuck Clark (@ChuckC36) plays for #Jets in 2023 + the positive is he should be good to go for 2024 or ‘if it goes really well’ & #TakeFlight makes the playoffs 👀 Are you saying there’s a chance? 🧐🎥 Can’t Wait Pod
Although Rosenblatt did provide a glimmer of hope on the podcast episode posted on June 14, “the positive would be that he will recover quicker and in theory should be good to go for next season or you know if it goes really well if they make the playoffs or whatever.”
So you’re telling me there’s a chance?
Jets DB Chuck Clark Seeking a 2nd Medical Opinion
Rosenblatt said that Clark is seeking a second medical opinion holding out hope that the injury isn’t as serious as originally indicated but he isn’t “positive” when that’ll be taking place.
The current fear is that Clark suffered an “ACL injury” but he’s undergoing more tests to confirm, per NFL Insider Jordan Schultz of The Score.
The NFL playoffs are set to begin on January 13, 2024. Clark’s injury to when the playoffs are set to begin is separated by about seven months.
Gang Green hasn’t been to the playoffs in 12 years which is the NFL’s longest active drought.
Although according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Jets have a 51.5 percent chance to make the playoffs this season. Those are the No. 12 best odds of all NFL teams in the league and the No. 6 best odds of the AFC teams, per those same metrics.
So there is an outside possibility that Clark could be healthy enough to help the Jets make a late push in the playoffs. Worst case the 28-year-old should be fully ready for the 2024 season because he got injured in June.
Clark is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. He is entering the final year of his $15.3 million contract.
Insider Believes the Jets Can Survive Chuck Clark Injury
In six years Clark appeared in 94 out of 96 possible games. He was on an active ironman streak of 1,248 consecutive snaps in a row dating back to the 2021 season.
As soon as Clark became a member of the Jets this offseason he instantly gets hurt. Go figure.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a devastating loss. It’s devastating for Chuck but I don’t think the Jets’ Super Bowl hopes are really changing after this injury,” Rosenblatt said on the show.
Clark was a penciled-in starter at the safety position next to Jordan Whitehead. With his injury, he will now be replaced by veteran safety Adrian Amos who the Jets signed on June 13.
The veteran defensive back was acquired by the Jets via trade on March 15 in a deal with the Baltimore Ravens. Gang Green sent a 2024 seventh-round pick in exchange for Clark.
Clark would have been a seamless fit on this defense, but Rosenblatt is correct. Is the difference between a team winning a championship or losing one decided by the safety position? Probably not.
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Jets Insider Provides Speck of Hope for Injured Safety Chuck Clark