The Kansas City Chiefs were able to work out a restructured contract with veteran defensive end Frank Clark to reduce his $26.3 million salary cap figure, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
The Chiefs were poised to either cut or trade Clark if they hadn’t reached this compromise, a two-year, $29 million deal with a maximum value of $36 million.
Kansas City Chiefs were expected to move on from Frank Clark
Cutting Clark, 29, would have left 13.6 million in dead money and created $12.7 million in salary cap savings this offseason.
Playing under a five-year, $104 million contract, Clark has lost some power in his bull rush due to a lingering shoulder injury that has not been surgically repaired, according to NFL scouts.
In 14 games last season, Clark had 4.5 sacks and 15 solo tackles — his lowest totals since his rookie campaign. Nevertheless, he is a veteran pass rusher with previous success on the edge. Thus, Clark will have a solid market should he leave Kansas City. After the AFC Championship Game loss, he stated he preferred to remain in Kansas City.
“Kansas City is home,” Clark said. “I bought a house here, my daughter goes to school here. I want to be here for the future for the rest of my career. Unfortunately, the way business goes, things don’t happen the way you want to happen all the time.”
The Chiefs finished 27th in total defense in 2021, allowing 368.9 yards per game. Additionally, they ranked 29th with just 31 sacks.
“We have some work to do on the defensive side,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said at the end of the season. “On the defensive line, we’ll have some decisions to make.”
Looking for free agent winners and losers?
NFL free agency is fun to think about in terms of winners and losers. We have absolutely no idea how the moves made in March will look in September, let alone two or three years down the road. All we can do is trust the process. A few teams have crushed the first day of the “legal tampering period.” Here’s our story on the 2022 NFL Free Agency Day 1 Winners, as well as our Day 1 losers.