The Kansas City Chiefs will enter the 2023 NFL season as Super Bowl favorites. But the roster will inevitably look slightly different than it looked in 2022.
Kansas City will sign some new players, they’ll make improvements through the draft, they’ll lose some free agents, and they’ll be forced to make some tough roster decisions that result in key players being released.
Pro Football Focus believes one of those key players could be a former Pro Bowler.
PFF’s Brad Spielberger recently named the biggest cut candidates for each NFL team this offseason and he listed defensive lineman Frank Clark as the Chiefs’ most likely player to be released.
From PFF:
CLARK SHOWED UP IN THE PLAYOFFS WITH THREE SACKS THROUGH THE FIRST TWO ROUNDS AFTER SIX TOTAL ON THE SEASON — NOT HIS FIRST TIME TURNING ON THE JETS WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE BRIGHTEST.
THAT BEING SAID, KANSAS CITY PUSHED CLARK TO AGREE TO A MAJOR PAY CUT BEFORE THE 2022 CAMPAIGN, AND HE HAD A REGULAR SEASON QUARTERBACK PRESSURE RATE BELOW 10%, RANKING 83RD OUT OF 130 EDGE DEFENDERS WITH AT LEAST 100 PASS-RUSH SNAPS.
PERHAPS THE TWO SIDES CAN AGAIN AGREE TO A REWORKED CONTRACT, BUT WITH $10 MILLION OF CLARK’S $20.5 MILLION 2023 SALARY BECOMING FULLY GUARANTEED IN THE FIRST WEEK OF THE 2023 LEAGUE YEAR, THAT WILL HAVE TO HAPPEN SOONER RATHER THAN LATER TO AVOID A RELEASE.
The Chiefs almost released Clark last offseason, but they managed to work out a restructured deal.
It seems unlikely that Clark would be down for a restructured deal for a second straight year. Clark turns 30 this summer, so he still has plenty of good years left. And after his big performance in the playoffs, he might like his odds of landing a nice free-agent deal.
If Kansas City releases Clark before the first week of the new league year in March, they’ll save $21 million in cap space (they’d be hit with a $9 million dead cap hit).
That seems like an easy call for a franchise that’s coming off a Super Bowl win.
It’s certainly possible that Clark reworks his deal, but I’d bet on Clark playing for a different team in 2023.
