What is Frank Clark’s future with Chiefs? Veach, Reid spoke about that topic Tuesday
Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach anticipates having discussions soon with defensive end Frank Clark and his representation while looking at potential options for the 2023 season.
“We’ll probably, to a certain extent, need some cap space. But we have a long history with him and his agent too,” Veach said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “So he’ll be one of the many conversations we have this week. Look forward to getting with him and seeing if we can work something out that makes sense for both parties.”
Clark faces a similar situation to last offseason because of his contract.
He has a large cap number for 2023 — $28,765,000, according to OverTheCap.com — with the Chiefs able to save about $21 million in salary-cap dollars if they release him before June 1. The Chiefs are currently over the cap (they have to be under that number by March 15) and will need more wiggle room if they choose to put the franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown, which Veach said Tuesday remains a possibility.
Last year, the Chiefs restructured Clark’s deal in March to shift money while creating extra cap room as the two parties found a middle ground.
As it currently stands with Clark’s contract, the Chiefs owe him $7,675,000 this season, whether he is with the team or not. So paying Clark slightly more than that to stay with KC — while also creating cap room — could once again be a path that makes sense for both sides.
Clark, 29, had a bounce-back year with the Chiefs after dedicating himself to losing weight before the season began. His 64.0 Pro Football Focus combined grade from the regular season and postseason was his highest during his four seasons with KC, as he posted nine sacks while improving his play against the run.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Clark have a close bond, with Clark recently referring to Reid as a “father figure.” Clark and Reid are both originally from Los Angeles.
Reid didn’t hold back his feelings about Clark when asked about him Tuesday in reference to a potential reunion in Kansas City.
“I love Frank Clark,” Reid said. “Veach has got to juggle all these different things going on (with the contract), but Frank is top-notch — a top-notch guy. I love him, love him to death.”
Veach said Tuesday that Clark’s situation was part of the “domino effect” each year with the team’s varying contract situations. In this particular year, Brown’s contract status and whether he signs a long-term deal, Veach said, will likely be the starting point for everything else coming into place.
One positive, Veach said, was that the team had “strong connections” with players like Brown, Clark and defensive end Chris Jones because of how long they’d been with the organization.
“That’s a good starting point for us,” Veach said. “And now just, it’s always a matter of finances. So it’s a matter of just kind of seeing what the whole big puzzle looks like when we leave here.”
When a team first gets to the NFL Scouting Combine, Veach said the picture typically starts out a bit cloudy. Then, as the Chiefs talk to player agents to get where they stand, everything begins to clear up a bit.
“Then once you get into that middle, first week of March, it starts to come together,” Veach said. “But really, it’s kind of hard to predict exactly how that’s really going to work out. But I think the bonds that we have with these players and the fact that we have a long track record with them, it helps us buy more time as well.”
Regarding Clark specifically, Veach seemed happy keeping the door open for a potential return in 2023.
“We were able to work something out with him last year, and we’ll probably have some more conversations this year,” Veach said. “It’s part of the process. It will be like that for a few guys here.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 6:00 AM with the headline "What is Frank Clark’s future with Chiefs? Veach, Reid spoke about that topic Tuesday."
