Former Chiefs DE Frank Clark to sign with Broncos

Frank Clark is staying in the AFC West, but he won’t be rejoining the Kansas City Chiefs.

According to The Score’s Jordan Schultz, Clark is set to join the Denver Broncos in free agency. Kansas City released Clark in March after failing to agree on a reworked contract that would lower his salary cap hit. There was some indication that a reunion could be possible down the line, but this all but ends any speculation that Clark could rejoin the Chiefs.

After acquiring him in trade from the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, Clark started 55 regular-season games, recording 127 total tackles, 35 tackles for loss and 23.5 sacks for Kansas City. During the playoffs, Clark recorded 32 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 12 games started.

Clark’s deal with Denver is a one-year deal with $5.5 million in guaranteed salary, which can increase to $7.5 million with incentives. Schefter says $1 million of those incentives are achievable, while the other million will be tough for Clark.

This won’t take away from his legacy in Kansas City, but he certainly won’t be winning over any members of the Chiefs Kingdom by jumping ship for the Broncos under Sean Payton. His teammates, such as Chris Jones, are sure to be conflicted by this new development. Especially after Clark just spent the day with the team at the White House on Monday.

In short, Denver had a significant hole to fill at outside linebacker stemming from last November’s trade of Bradley Chubb, which led to a precipitous drop in the team’s pass-rushing efficiency. Denver did not sign a player at the spot in early waves of free agency and did not spend any draft resources at the position.