Seahawks Sign Frank Clark

OCTOBER 26: Clark has passed his physical, Anderson reports. As a result, his Seahawks reunion is now official. Clark may be in Seattle’s lineup as early as Sunday, Anderson adds. With Nwosu out for the remainder of the campaign, a notable workload should await Clark in his return to the Emerald City.

Field Yates of ESPN provides a further report with contract details for the deal. Clark’s deal is a one-year, $1.17MM deal that will be prorated over the remaining 11 weeks of the season. This will be in addition to the $3.75MM Clark has already been paid by the Broncos this year.

OCTOBER 25: A Frank Clark reunion will end up taking place, just not the one previously rumored. The Seahawks will reunite with the veteran pass rusher, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report.

The Seahawks drafted Clark back in the 2015 second round and franchise-tagged him four years later, but the team executed a tag-and-trade transaction to send the former Michael Bennett–Cliff Avril sidekick to the Chiefs. While the Chiefs were viewed as perhaps the lead candidate to sign Clark, the recent Broncos cut will make his way back to the Pacific Northwest. This marks the third defensive reunion to commence in Seattle this year; Clark follows Bobby Wagner and Jarran Reed back to town.

This is a one-year deal, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, with NFL.com adding Clark will be added to the 53-man roster. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson first reported Clark, 30, intended to sign if his visit went well. This process has accelerated quickly, and it almost definitely stems from Uchenna Nwosu‘s upcoming surgery. The recently extended outside linebacker suffered a pectoral injury that will require season-ending surgery.

While the two Super Bowls Clark won in Kansas City will tie him to that organization closely when his career wraps, the 2015 draftee’s best production came in Seattle. Clark went 0-for-4 in double-digit sack seasons as a Chief; his most recent 10-plus-sack slate came with the Seahawks in 2018. Clark registered a career-high 13 sacks in 2018, leading to the tag, and also posted 10 in 2016 despite mostly working as a backup. The Seahawks will likely move Nwosu to IR soon, but this Clark move will still ensure a four-second-rounder arrangement exists at outside linebacker. Clark will join Boye Mafe, Darrell Taylor and Derick Hall upon coming back to Washington.

Drafting Clark months after a domestic violence arrest led him off the Michigan roster, the Seahawks were leery of giving the former No. 63 overall pick a big-ticket extension back in 2019. They signed off on a trade that brought back first- and second-round picks, along with a third-round pick swap. The Seahawks chose hopeful D-end replacement L.J. Collier in the 2019 first round; that proved to be one of the John Schneider era’s worst picks. Seattle did better with the 2020 second-rounder, trading down with Green Bay to draft guard Damien Lewis. With the 2019 Round 3 pick swap, the team traded up for linebacker Cody Barton.

In the years since Clark’s Seattle stay, he became the NFL’s No. 3 all-time playoff sacks leader. His 13.5 postseason QB drops rank behind only Willie McGinest (16) and Bruce Smith (14.5). Clark’s regular seasons in Kansas City left much to be desired, as he did not quite live up to the five-year, $104MM extension he signed upon being traded to the Chiefs. Clark topped out at eight sacks in a Chiefs season; that came back in 2019. Clark accepted a pay cut to stay in 2022, and while he added 2.5 playoff sacks this past season, the Chiefs still made him a cap casualty in March.

Clark’s Broncos fit did not pan out. Denver gave the street free agent a one-year, $5MM deal but used him as a backup to start the season. Coming off the bench behind Randy Gregory and Jonathon Cooper, Clark soon suffered a groin injury in practice that sidelined him for three games. Upon returning in Week 5, he saw only 11 defensive snaps. Playing time became an issue for Clark, and after shopping the rotational edge rusher in trades, the Broncos agreed to cut him. Despite a rumor about a Chiefs return, Clark will attempt to help his initial NFL team back to the playoffs.

Nwosu agreed to a three-year, $45MM extension in July but is out of the picture for the 2023 Seahawks. Mafe has taken a step forward in his second season, having totaled a team-high four sacks. Taylor tallied 9.5 sacks last season but has worked as a backup behind Nwosu and Mafe this year. The Seahawks chose Hall 36th overall in April.