Could Packers Cut Ties With Former UCLA Bruins Star?

The Green Bay Packers may want to consider parting ways with former UCLA star Kenny Clark during the NFL offseason.
Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark (97) celebrates recovering a fumble by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brandon Allen during the fourth quarter of their game Sunday, November 24, 2024 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark (97) celebrates recovering a fumble by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brandon Allen during the fourth quarter of their game Sunday, November 24, 2024 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Green Bay Packers saw their 2024 NFL season come to an excruciating end on Sunday night, as they fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

Former UCLA star Kenny Clark was able to log five tackles in the process, but overall, it was a rather underwhelming campaign for the defensive tackle.

Clark played in all 17 games during the regular season, finishing with just 37 tackles and one sack. Both numbers represented his lowest outputs since his rookie year, and it comes on the heels of the 29-year-old signing a three-year, $64 million extension with the Packers last summer.

Green Bay now must ask itself a very difficult question: is it time to cut ties with Clark?

The Packers showed that they definitely need to add some more pieces during the offseason, and while Clark certainly isn't their biggest problem, he is a part of the issue.

Green Bay has some players on its roster that are simply not performing at the level many have expected, and it may be time for the Packers to turn over their roster just a bit.

The general expectation is that Green Bay will look to shed cornerback Jaire Alexander in the coming months, but the declining Clark could definitely join him.

Clark received a brutal 59.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus this season, indicating that there were no underlying analytics to excuse his poor statistical production.

Perhaps he can recover in 2025. After all, he is one year removed from racking up 44 tackles and 7.5 sacks en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.

But do the Packers really want to risk rolling the dice with Clark and eating more of that money?

Clark is under contract through 2027. He carries a cap hit of $20.4 million next season, but that jumps to $31.4 million in 2026.

Green Bay needs to determine whether or not it wants to be on the hook for that while waiting for Clark to rediscover his previous form.

There would surely be some teams interested in trading for Clark, so that is an option the Packers may absolutely pursue during the offseason.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.