Draft week began with reports that the Chiefs were in preliminary talks with the Seahawks about a trade for defensive end Frank Clark. Nothing was imminent at the time, but those talks quickly snowballed into something more material. Earlier today, the Chiefs agreed to a trade with the Seahawks that sent Clark to Kansas City. This kicks off what’s expected to be an exciting 2019 NFL draft filled with tons of unexpected moves. Reactions to the Chiefs’ decision to trade for Clark have been mixed. Some feel the Chiefs gave up too much trade capital to acquire Clark. Others feel like he’s just the weapon they need along the defensive line to offset the losses of Justin Houston and Dee Ford. For current and former Chiefs players, this trade seems to be a popular move. Here’s a quick look at what some of them have been saying on social media: Frank Clark is a very violent football player. That’s a good thing the Chiefs got a dog — Jeff Allen (@JeffAllen71) April 23, 2019 Former Chiefs offensive guard Jeff Allen refers to Clark as “a dog.” If you’re unfamiliar with football nomenclature, that’s a good thing. It means he’s tough, strong, and plays with attitude. Here we have two former Alabama Crimson Tide teammates poking fun at each other. Jarran Reed plays for the Seahawks, and his best friend that he’s referring to is Clark. Chiefs LB Reggie Ragland is giving him a hard time. Chris Jones, who Clark will be playing next to along the defensive line, has already welcomed him to the squad. Based on the five exclamation points, he’s pretty excited about the addition of Clark. I think it’s safe to say that Patrick Mahomes is thrilled to have Clark in Kansas City, rather than chasing him around when the Chiefs play Seattle. One final comment from Jones and some reinforcement from LB Anthony Hitchens. They’re quite hyped about the look of their new defensive group. At the end of the day, given the player response, It’s hard not to be excited about this move for Kansas City.<doc-sep>The Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks have agreed to a trade that will send defensive end Frank Clark to Kansas City. The initial news came from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, citing the Chiefs and Seahawks in deep talks about a trade for defensive end Frank Clark, which we have broken down in detail here. Sources: The #Seahawks and #Chiefs are deep in talks on a trade to send star Frank Clark to KC. The compensation would include a 1st rounder, a 2020 2nd rounder and a swap of mid-rounders. To complete it, the franchise tagged player and Chiefs must hammer out a deal. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 23, 2019 Moments later, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed the two teams had come to a deal. Frank Clark and Chiefs now will finalize their long-term deal. Chiefs have two second-round picks in 2020 - theirs and the one they acquired from SF for Dee Ford. They will retain the better of the 2’s, and the lower one will go to Seattle as part of the trade for Frank Clark. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019 More details. Seahawks agreed to trade their franchise player, DE Frank Clark, to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick and an exchange of third-round picks this year, per league sources. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019 Schefter continues on with the contract details. Chiefs and Frank Clark reached agreement on a 5 yrs, $105.5 million contract - greater total than DeMarcus Lawrence, with $63.5 million guaranteed, per source. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019 Clark will receive a five-year $105.5 million contract, which makes him the third-richest defensive player in the NFL. ESPN’s Adam Teicher adds some good perspective to the trade. The Chiefs essentially traded Dee Ford and this year's first-round pick for Frank Clark. I like that trade. — Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) April 23, 2019 ESPN’s Josina Anderson has a quote from Clark on the trade to the Chiefs. Frank Clark to me on #Chiefs trade: "I feel like I'm good. I wanted to be somewhere where I'm wanted, where I'm appreciated. I thank God that KC came in & showed that...In life u just want to be shown that you are appreciated sometimes & I feel like this was one of those things." — ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) April 23, 2019 Full quote, via Anderson’s official Twitter: “I feel like I’m good. I wanted to be somewhere where I’m wanted, where I’m appreciated. I thank God that KC came in & showed that...In life u just want to be shown that you are appreciated sometimes & I feel like this was one of those things. [Seattle] had other plans. It got to a point where Seattle had used me for everything I had for them already. At the end of the day it’s a business…Look down the history...when you’re playing in Seattle it’s not common that they plan to have players around for the long run. It’s obvious. It’s evident…but I’m blessed & thankful to be part of their organization. John (Schneider) & Pete (Carroll) drafted back in 2015. It just sucks that we weren’t able to get something done because they knew how I felt about being in Seattle and how I felt about my future, and I feel like at the end of the day it was all ignored. But it is part of the business…and you have to play your cards right in this game.” Clark’s teammates seem to really like the move: This defense got real dawgs all around... “Shits about to be crazy”... — Chris Jones (@stonecoldjones_) April 23, 2019 To Seattle Chiefs’ 2019 first-rounder (No. 29 overall) Lower of Chiefs’ two 2020 second-rounders (one pick) Chiefs’ 2019 third-rounder (No. 92 overall) To Kansas City Defensive end Frank Clark Seahawks 2019 third-rounder (No. 84 overall)<doc-sep>The Seahawks have reportedly agreed to trade defensive end Frank Clark to the Kansas City Chiefs, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter reports the trade gives Seattle the Chiefs’ first-round pick (No. 29 overall) and a 2020 second-round pick. The teams will also swap third-round picks this year (with Seattle going from No. 84 to No. 92). Most Seahawks’ draft-day action will come after 7th round As part of the trade, the Chiefs needed to negotiate a long-term contract with Clark, who was set to play under Seattle’s franchise tag in 2019. According to Schefter, that has also been completed: they’ve since signed Clark to a five-year, $105 million deal with $63.5 million guaranteed. Seahawks agreed to trade their franchise player, DE Frank Clark, to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick and an exchange of third-round picks this year, per league sources. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019 Frank Clark and Chiefs now will finalize their long-term deal. Chiefs have two second-round picks in 2020 – theirs and the one they acquired from SF for Dee Ford. They will retain the better of the 2’s, and the lower one will go to Seattle as part of the trade for Frank Clark. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019 Why did the Seahawks trade Frank Clark? Obviously we don’t have all the answers here. Both general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll have praised Clark’s on- and off-the-field presence. Because of that, the easiest conclusion to draw is that a contract extension for the 25-year-old pass rusher could become prohibitively expensive for a Seahawks team that had just extended their franchise quarterback and was looking at expiring deals for other defensive starters. With his 2018 production (a career-high 14 sacks), the rising price tag of a top-tier defensive end, and a lack of draft capital for Seattle, rumors of a potential trade of Clark had been circulating weeks prior to Tuesday’s news. The Seahawks were facing a July deadline to reach an agreement on a long-term extension with Clark (after using the franchise tag on him in March). After signing quarterback Russell Wilson to a record-setting $140 million extension in April – and with free agency looming for middle linebacker Bobby Wagner – the Seahawks were also faced with the challenge of creating a manageable salary cap hit for the trio of Pro Bowlers. Questions about salary cap implications had been raised as recently as Monday afternoon. During a pre-draft press conference at the team’s headquarters, Schneider was asked whether it was feasible to retain Wilson, Wagner, and Clark. “Feasible,” Schneider replied. “Very challenging.” What does this mean for the Seahawks? Trading Clark gives the Seahawks an additional first-round pick this year, which pads what was previously a league-fewest four picks. They now own the 21st overall and 29th overall picks (in addition to picks No. 92, 124, and 159). Seattle now also owns an additional second-round pick in 2020. In terms of salary cap space, Seattle has a bit more flexibility to negotiate a long-term contract with Wagner (or defensive tackle Jarran Reed, another impending free agent). In the more immediate future, the Seahawks are left with a significant hole on their defensive line. Clark recorded 14 sacks and 27 quarterback hits in 2018 – both were team and career highs. His 14 sacks were the most by any Seahawk since 2007 (Patrick Kerney). Clark alone recorded one third of Seattle’s 43 sacks, and coupled with Reed (10-and-a-half sacks), accounted for more than half of the team total. With the trade of Clark, the Seahawks have five defensive ends on the roster: Branden Jackson, Rasheem Green, Jacob Martin, Cassius Marsh, Nate Orchard, and Quinton Jefferson, who can also play at defensive tackle. What went into Russell Wilson’s new deal with Seahawks<doc-sep>The Seattle Seahawks have traded defensive end Frank Clark to the Kansas City Chiefs, per Adam Schefter. The return for Clark has been a 2019 first round pick — 29th overall — and a 2020 second round pick. The teams will also exchange third round picks, meaning the Seahawks have moved down from 84 to 92. Seahawks agreed to trade their franchise player, DE Frank Clark, to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick and an exchange of third-round picks this year, per league sources. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019 Clark had a career-high 13 sacks in 2018, giving him 32 sacks over the last three seasons. He was one of the most productive defensive ends in the NFL, also racking up 66 QB hits over the last three years. The Seahawks selected Clark with the 63rd overall pick in 2015, causing controversy by adding a player who had been arrested on domestic violence charges while playing for the Michigan Wolverines, a team he was dismissed from. The team insisted that they still would not draft a player that had hit a woman and that they felt Clark was a safe pick. Over the last four years, he has not had any charges against him and has for the most part remained out of the news for negative reasons. Seattle probably couldn’t have hoped for more than the return on this, which now gives them five picks in the NFL draft including two in the first round. Thursday just got a lot more interesting. The Chiefs signed Clark to a $105.5 million contract right after.<doc-sep>
The defensive end had 32 sacks over last 3 seasons for Seahawks According to a report from ESPN and other media outlets, the Kansas City Chiefs have worked out a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for highly-coveted defensive end Frank Clark.Adam Schefter of ESPN reports the Seahawks traded Frank Clark to the Chiefs for a 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick and an exchange of third-round picks this year. Schefter also reported the Chiefs reached an agreement for a five-year contract with Clark for $105.5 million.Clark recorded 13 sacks in 2018 and was scheduled to earn $17.1 million this season as Seattle’s franchise player. In a victory over Kansas City this past season, Clark recorded four tackles and three quarterback hits on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He had 27 quarterback hits in 2018.In 2014, Clark was dismissed from the Michigan football team following a domestic violence arrest, and he slipped to the second round of the 2015 draft. The 25-year-old Clark has totaled 32 sacks over the past three seasons for the Seahawks. He’s was seeking a long-term extension from any team that traded for him. According to a report from ESPN and other media outlets, the Kansas City Chiefs have worked out a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for highly-coveted defensive end Frank Clark. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports the Seahawks traded Frank Clark to the Chiefs for a 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick and an exchange of third-round picks this year. Schefter also reported the Chiefs reached an agreement for a five-year contract with Clark for $105.5 million. Chiefs and Frank Clark reached agreement on a 5 yrs, $105.5 million contract - greater total than DeMarcus Lawrence, with $63.5 million guaranteed, per source. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019 Seahawks agreed to trade their franchise player, DE Frank Clark, to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick and an exchange of third-round picks this year, per league sources. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019 I can confirm that the deal has been agreed upon. As I told @SorenPetro & @KSeaboldt on @SportsRadio810, Frank Clark wants a new deal similar to what Demarcus Lawrence received from the Cowboys. https://t.co/hilCJS5yVL — Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) April 23, 2019 Chiefs trade for Seattle DE Frank Clark is happening, a source told The Star. Talks were slow before yesterday, but obviously ramped up in the last 24 hours. — Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) April 23, 2019 Clark recorded 13 sacks in 2018 and was scheduled to earn $17.1 million this season as Seattle’s franchise player. In a victory over Kansas City this past season, Clark recorded four tackles and three quarterback hits on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He had 27 quarterback hits in 2018. In 2014, Clark was dismissed from the Michigan football team following a domestic violence arrest, and he slipped to the second round of the 2015 draft. The 25-year-old Clark has totaled 32 sacks over the past three seasons for the Seahawks. He’s was seeking a long-term extension from any team that traded for him.