Frank Clark‘s offseason decision to switch teams in a lopsided AFC West rivalry hasn’t gone according to plan, and the experiment could end soon.
NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported on Thursday that Clark and the Broncos have agreed to a salary reduction, decreasing his base pay from $3.5 million to the $841,000 minimum for the remainder of the 2023 season, according to sources. As part of this restructuring, Clark returned $1.679 million in base pay, suggesting a possible future separation.
Clark’s future with the 1-4 Broncos remains fluid, per Garafolo, but he will not play in Thursday night’s game against his former team, the Kansas City Chiefs, due to an illness.
Clark, who recorded 4.5 or more sacks per season from 2016 to 2022 (while playing for Seattle and Kansas City) and earned three Pro Bowl selections from 2019 to 2021, has been largely ineffective for Denver’s defense, which is currently ranked 32nd. In the Broncos’ first five games, he only played in two, and has only recorded two tackles without a single sack.
Denver’s offseason signing of Clark was supposed to add a valued rusher to a defense that could certainly use one. Now, after trading Randy Gregory — another notable past offseason signing — to San Francisco, Denver very well could do the same with Clark, whose salary is no longer a problem when it comes to facilitating a deal.
