After spending nearly three months as a free agent, Frank Clark has finally picked his next team and the former Chiefs defensive end, who spent the past four seasons in Kansas City, will be staying in the AFC West.
Clark has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos, according to CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson. The deal is worth a total of $7.5 million with $5.5 million in guarantees. Clark can also earn another $2 million in incentives, according to ESPN.com. The move means that he'll now get to face his old team two times in 2023. The Broncos are scheduled to travel to Kansas City for a Thursday night game in Week 8 before turning around and playing the Chiefs again just 17 days later in Week 10.
In an interview with Anderson, Clark explained his reasoning for picking the Broncos.
"The situation with Sean Payton is good for me," Clark said. "I get to play alongside Randy Gregory and stay in my division that I am very familiar with. I also want to help the Broncos get back to the mountain top."
When the offseason started, it looked like there was a chance that Clark might be staying in Kansas City for another season. Clark was scheduled to have a cap hit of $29 million for the upcoming season, which was too big for the Chiefs, so they wanted to renegotiate his deal. After getting nowhere in the negotiation, the Chiefs decided to cut Clark in early March in a move that freed up $21 million in cap space.
During his four seasons in Kansas City, Clark went to the Pro Bowl three times (2019-2021). Clark has also racked up 4.5 sacks or more in each of his four seasons with the Chiefs, which is good news for a Broncos defense that will be going into 2023 without its two sack-leaders from last season.
Dre'Mont Jones led the team in sacks with 6.5, but he's now in Seattle. Bradley Chubb finished second on the team in sacks with 5.5, but he's now in Miami. The fact that Chubb finished with the second-most sacks on the team even though he was traded halfway through the season should tell you all you need to know about what kind of need the Broncos had when it comes to rushing the passer.
Not only will the Broncos be getting Clark, but they'll also see the return of Gregory, who missed 11 games last season due to injury.
Clark mentioned wanting to get the Broncos back to the mountain top, which is someplace they haven't been in nearly 10 years. The Broncos haven't made the playoffs since 2015 when they won Super Bowl 50.
Of course, if they do end that drought, Clark is the one guy you definitely want on your team.
Over the course of his career, Clark has been at his best during the postseason. The 29-year-old, who turns 30 on June 14, has racked up a total of 13.5 sacks in his playoff career, which is the third-most of any player in NFL postseason history. Not only has Clark been to the playoffs in seven of his eight seasons, but he also won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs.
