Chiefs Restructure Frank Clark's Contract, Keep Him in KC
The Kansas City Chiefs and defensive end Frank Clark have reportedly agreed to a contract restructuring as the NFL's legal tampering period of free agency begins. Before the restructuring, Clark, who will be 29 at the start of the 2022 season, would have saddled the Chiefs with a large single-season salary cap hit in '22 following three seasons in which his production struggled to match his contract.
First reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Clark's new deal is worth $29 million over two years, which could potentially be worth up to $36 million.
Clark was set to carry a $26.3 million cap hit into the 2022 season. Releasing Clark today would have cleared up $12.7 million in cap space but would have come with a $13.6 million dead cap hit. The Chiefs could have designated Clark as a post-June 1 release, which would clear $19.5 million with just $6.8 million in dead cap space, but that would move $6.8 million of dead space to 2023, in addition to holding that cap space until June 1, when the Chiefs would see it officially come off their books.
Nov 1, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark (55) spits out water during the second half against the New York Giants at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
By restructuring with Clark today, the Chiefs get some immediate cap relief while keeping Clark for at least one more season, with the second year largely depending on the structure of the deal.
As estimated by Conner Christopherson of Arrowhead Report, this move appears to essentially cost the Chiefs roughly $1 million to keep Clark as opposed to releasing him before June 1 outright.
At the NFL Combine, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach spoke about the possibility of restructuring with Clark, as told by Nate Taylor in The Athletic:
“That’s certainly a high number,” Veach said of Clark’s cap number. “We’ll have to work on that — and do a lot of work on that if he were to stay here. If it’s close, something usually gets done. If it’s far off, then it’ll probably go in a different direction. It may be a long shot, but it’s not impossible.”
In his three years with the Chiefs, Clark has recorded 18.5 sacks and 88 tackles in 43 regular-season games. Clark had five sacks in the Chiefs' 2019 playoff run, three in the 2020 postseason and zero in KC's 2021 postseason campaign.
Jan 23, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark (55) reacts after a play against the Buffalo Bills during the second half of the AFC Divisional playoff football game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The Chiefs acquired Clark ahead of the 2019 season, sending the Seattle Seahawks a 2019 first-round pick, 2020 second-round pick and 2019 third-round pick swap. The Chiefs then signed Clark to a new contract for five years worth $105.5 million with $63.5 million guaranteed.
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