Getty New York Jets safety Chuck Clark reacting in the middle of a press conference.
New York Jets safety Chuck Clark acknowledged the doubters who question whether he’d lost a step after recovering from a torn ACL in June 2023.
“Yeah, all right. Watch,” Clark, who signed a one-year, $2 million deal this offseason, told reporters on June 4.
Chuck Clark Still Has Feelings About His Old Team, the Baltimore Ravens
New York originally acquired Clark last offseason in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. The green and white sent over a 2024 seventh-round draft choice in exchange.
Baltimore essentially gave away Clark to the Jets after replacing him with Marcus Williams (signed to a massive five-year deal for $70 million) and Kyle Hamilton (drafted with the No. 14 overall pick).
Those additions made Clark expendable, so he requested a trade shortly thereafter, according to Dennis Waszak Jr of the Associated Press.
Waszak wrote on June 5 that Clark felt “disrespected” by the Ravens and was “unhappy” with how things played out.
“I mean, I ain’t forgot about that. I still got that chip on my shoulder,” Clark said smiling when asked about the end of his run with the Ravens.
Clark, 29, spent his first six seasons in the NFL with the Ravens. During that run, Clark played in 96 games and made 63 starts. He started his career as a role player, but eventually, Clark became a full-time starter.
The former Virginia Tech product has 5 career interceptions, 32 pass deflections and 5 forced fumbles, and he has registered over 384 total tackles.
The Jets Made a Low Risk vs. High Reward Kind of Move
When the Jets acquired Clark, he had only one year left on his contract. After he tore his ACL, he was scheduled to be a free agent the following offseason.
Typically, injured players like that will rehab on their own, away from the facility, but Clark stayed around the team.
“He looks good, he worked his tail off, [and] he has been here every day. He didn’t have to. Even last year during the season he didn’t have to be here to rehab but he was here and staying connected to the team. He is putting together a good OTA and [I’m] excited about the trajectory at which he is going,” head coach Robert Saleh said on Tuesday, June 4.
We are hovering around the 1-year anniversary of Chuck Clark tearing his ACL during a #Jets practice.
Robert Saleh revealed to @ZackBlatt that he believes that injury in 2023 ‘happened on the last play of the last practice.’ Brutal.
Saleh praised Clark for rehabbing at NYJ…
Clark tore his ACL on the final play of the final OTA practice of 2023, according to Saleh, and was forced to miss the entire season.
Because of that, New York was able to sign Clark at a discount. He is the No. 44 highest-paid safety in football, per Over The Cap.
The Jets have a lot of unknowns at the safety position, but considering the coaching and talent level of the rest of the defense there is ample opportunity for someone to make some noise.
Clark has a chance to re-establish his value and either stay long-term with the Jets or get paid handsomely by someone else next offseason.
Pro Football Focus listed Clark as their top “bounce back” candidate for the Jets.
“Clark was fabulous the last time we saw him,” PFF’s Bradley Locker wrote on May 24. “If the Jets get the same well-rounded version of Clark after a season away, their defense becomes that much scarier.”