Tag: Frank Clark

Frank Clark wants to help Broncos ‘get back to the mountain top’

Frank Clark was eager to join Sean Payton in Denver and he told CBS Sports he’s aiming to help the Broncos “get back to the mountain top.”

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When the Denver Broncos agreed to terms on a one-year deal with former Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Frank Clark last week, it brought back memories of the team signing Neil Smith in 1997.

After playing nine years with the Chiefs and disrupting Denver’s offense twice a season every year, Smith joined his former rival and went on to win a pair of Super Bowls with the Broncos late in his career.

Clark only spent four years in Kansas City, but he gave Denver plenty of headaches during that time. Now, just like Smith, he’s hoping to help the Broncos defeat his former team and reach the NFL’s peak.

“The situation with Sean Payton is good for me,” Clark told Josina Anderson of CBS Sports on June 8. “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.”

Payton personally recruited Clark to Denver — he “hit it off” on a phone call with the pass rusher last week, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

When Smith signed with the Broncos in 1997, he had five Pro Bowl nods on his resume but no championship titles. Clark has already won a pair of Super Bowls, and he’ll aim to win a third with Denver.

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Here’s intel on new Broncos pass rusher Frank Clark from a Chiefs perspective

We asked Chiefs Wire five questions about new Broncos pass rusher Frank Clark.

The Denver Broncos agreed to terms on a one-year, $5.5 million contract with former Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Frank Clark on Thursday.

To learn more about the edge defender, we reached out to Charles Goldman of Chiefs Wire to ask five questions about Clark and his time in KC. Check out our questions and Goldman’s answers below.

NFL Free Agency: Frank Clark re-joins Russell Wilson with Broncos

A former Seattle Seahawks standout has found a new home in the Mile High city of Denver, Colorado. Hmm, this sounds a bit familiar

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A former Seattle Seahawks standout has found a new home in the Mile High city of Denver, Colorado. Hmm, this sounds a bit familiar.

But no, I am not talking about Russell Wilson. This story is about former Seahawks and Chiefs defensive end finding his new NFL home. After four incredibly successful years with the Kansas City Chiefs – where he helped claim two Lombardi’s – Clark is now joining the division rival Broncos.

Clark started his career as a second round pick for the Seattle Seahawks all the way back in the 2015 NFL draft. Although he started slow, Clark became one of Seattle’s most dominant defenders, recording 10, 9 and 13 sacks his final three years in the Emerald City.

Before the start of the 2019 season, the Seahawks traded Clark to Kansas City in exchange for a first round pick and to gain cap flexibility.

Although he did not match any sack totals from the last three years in Seattle – the most he had was eight in his first year with the Chiefs – Clark made hay in the playoffs. He racked up 10.5 sacks in playoff games for Kansas City, pushing his career playoff total to 13.5 which is third most in NFL postseason history.

Now he rejoins his former quarterback in Denver, as the Broncos look to bounce back from the most disastrous season in franchise history.

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Check out these highlights of new Broncos pass rusher Frank Clark

Frank Clark gives an instant boost to the Broncos’ pass rush depth. Here are some highlights from his time with the Seahawks and Chiefs.

The Denver Broncos are signing former Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Frank Clark to a one-year, $5.5 million contract that includes up to $2 million in additional incentives.

This is a timely signing for the Broncos as outside linebacker Baron Browning recently underwent knee surgery. That puts Browning’s early-season status in question, and Clark will give the team a starting-caliber option if Browning is sidelined to begin the year.

Once Browning is healthy, Clark will likely serve as a rotational pass rusher behind Browning and Randy Gregory. Clark totaled 9.5 sacks over the last two seasons in 29 starts with the Chiefs.

Here are Clark’s highlights:

And a look into the throwback machine:

Broncos’ updated OLB depth chart after signing Frank Clark

Following the arrival of Frank Clark, here is a projected outside linebacker depth chart for the Broncos.

After signing veteran pass rusher Frank Clark to a one-year contract, the Denver Broncos will have nine outside linebackers on the 90-man offseason roster: Randy Gregory, Baron Browning, Clark, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Christopher Allen, Aaron Patrick, Marcus Haynes and Thomas Incoom.

Gregory and Browning are the team’s returning starters but both of them have battled injuries in recent seasons. Browning is currently sidelined this summer after undergoing knee surgery, but he is expected to be back in time for Week 1.

Clark will likely serve as the team’s No. 3 pass rusher, filling in as a starter whenever one of Gregory or Browning are unavailable. Behind them, the Broncos also have Cooper and Bonitto, a pair of promising rotational rushers.

Allen returns this year after missing his rookie season due to a foot injury and Patrick will aim to recover from a torn ACL in time for the season. Haynes and Incoom will be longshots to make the team.

Denver Broncos OLB Depth Chart

Former Michigan football EDGE, Super Bowl champion Frank Clark to new NFL team

Whoa!

After departing Ann Arbor, former Michigan football edge rusher Frank Clark has built quite an acclaimed career in the professional ranks.

The two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs started his career with the Seattle Seahawks, where he was selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. He’s been the premier defensive end for the Chiefs since arriving in Kansas City in 2019, spearheading the defensive attack there, but now he’s heading to a new home.

Per the NFL, Clark is on the move to the Denver Broncos, where he’s signing a one-year deal for the new-look AFC franchise.

In 2022, Clark played in 15 games and had five sacks — a half-sack improvement on his 2021 production. His best season came in 2018 with Seattle, when he had 13 sacks and an interception.

The Broncos managed to coax former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton out of retirement to oversee the program this upcoming season.

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Former Chiefs DE Frank Clark reveals why he chose to sign with Broncos

Former #Chiefs DE Frank Clark spoke to Josina Anderson about his decision to sign with the #Broncos in free agency. | from @LazarczykLogan

Former Kansas City Chiefs edge rusher Frank Clark agreed to terms with the Denver Broncos on Thursday afternoon.

Shortly after his decision was made, the 29-year-old Clark told CBS Sports reporter Josina Anderson why he ultimately decided to stay in the AFC West division.

“The situation with Sean Payton is good for me. I get to play alongside Randy Gregory and stay in a division that I am very familiar with,” Clark said. “I also want to help the Broncos get back to the mountaintop.”

Although the Broncos are coming off of a disappointing season in 2022, this move makes plenty of sense for Clark. Familiarity is always important in a player’s success and Clark already has intel on each team within the division. He played four seasons in the AFC West and has played against the Chargers and Raiders a number of times. He also knows how Kansas City’s offense operates after years of practicing against it.

As Clark mentioned, he will be paired up with Gregory, who was in Clark’s draft class in 2015. Gregory and Clark were selected three picks apart from each other, as Gregory was selected 60th overall by the Cowboys and Clark was selected by the Seahawks at pick No. 63.

Winning the division will be a tall task for the Broncos, but playoffs are clearly the goal with Payton as the head coach. Denver has not made the playoffs since 2015 when the Broncos won the Super Bowl with Peyton Manning. Reaching the playoffs would allow Clark to continue his playoff legacy. His 13.5 playoff career sacks are the third most all-time behind Bruce Smith and Willie McGinest.

A trip to the playoffs would also be reminiscent of former Chiefs DE Neil Smith’s departure from Kansas City to Denver. His tenure with the Broncos resulted in plenty of playoff success and two Super Bowl rings (XXXII, XXXIII).

Joining a stacked defense like the Broncos have can take some pressure off of Clark’s shoulders, allowing him to be more effective in getting to the quarterback.

The Chiefs host the Broncos in Week 6 in Kansas City on “Thursday Night Football” and again in Week 8 in Denver.

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Former Chiefs EDGE Frank Clark stays in AFC West, signing with Broncos

Frank Clark staying in the AFC West. The former Chiefs EDGE is signing with the Broncos

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Multiple reports have Frank Clark signing with the Broncos on a one-year deal. Thus keeping the former Chiefs edge rusher in the AFC West to continue his career.

Clark made three Pro Bowls in the past four seasons in Kansas City, helping them to two Super Bowl titles in that time. He was released last March for whatever reason took until now to find a new home.

An interesting stat for Clark is his career single-game highs of 2.5 sacks, four QB hits, and two forced fumbles all came in games against the Raiders.

The eight-year pro has 3.5 sacks and 10 QB hits against the Raiders in nine career meetings.

Last season, Clark put up five sacks and 13 QB hits, then added 2.5 sacks and four QB hits in the playoffs as the Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl. So, it would appear the 29-year-old still has something left in the tank.

Broncos OLB Baron Browning undergoes knee surgery

Broncos OLB Baron Browning underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this offseason, giving him an uncertain Week 1 status.

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This news might partially explain why the Denver Broncos agreed to terms on a one-year deal with veteran pass rusher Frank Clark on Thursday.

Broncos outside linebacker Baron Browning recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery “to repair a partially torn meniscus,” according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

After initially writing that Browning would be expected to return during training camp, Klis later clarified “that may be optimistic as the start of the regular season could be in question” for Browning.

While Browning is sidelined, Clark will likely step in as a starter across from Randy Gregory. Behind them, Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto will provide additional depth.

If Browning is unable to get back up to speed quickly, Clark would be a strong candidate to start in Denver’s season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1. The soon-to-be-30-year-old Clark started 15 games for the Kansas City Chiefs last season, totaling five sacks.

Browning was healthy for 14 games last season, recording 24 tackles, eight quarterback hits and five sacks in eight starts. Once healthy, he will be the team’s projected starter across from Gregory in 2023.

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Former Chiefs DE Frank Clark to sign with Broncos

Former #Chiefs DE Frank Clark is staying in the AFC West, joining the #Broncos according to a new report.

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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.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, 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.

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