When the Green Bay Packers announced they had signed a player to a contract extension, many fans hoped it would be Jordan Love, the young signal-caller. While the Packers could announce that extension any second, this time they ponied up to pay Kenny Clark, one of the premier interior defensive linemen and Green Bay’s longest-tenured player.
Clark has inked a three-year contract extension to keep him in Green Bay through the 2027 season. The extension is worth $64 million, $29 million of which they will pay out this year.
That’s Clark’s third deal in Green Bay, and the veteran was entering the last year of his second contract with the Packers. With this new deal, Clark’s cap hit raises significantly for the 2024 season but averages out to $21.3 million over the next three years.
While it is an increase for Clark and the Packers, the 28-year-old will only be the 10th-highest-paid player among interior defensive linemen. Considering his durability and consistency over his eight years in Green Bay, the Packers are getting a solid deal with Clark’s new contract.
“We would love to keep Kenny around,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said earlier this offseason. “We’ll kind of see how all that goes moving forward here, but it’s crazy to think he’s only 28 years old with the amount of football he’s played with us. [Clark] started so young. He’s a little bit younger than most third-contract guys are. He’s been very, very durable for us over that time. I think that’s something as we go forward here that we’re going to look to see if we can do.”
Clark has anchored Green Bay’s defensive line for many years. The Packers have long searched for another impact player along the interior of the defensive line to complement him.
Clark had a career year in 2023, recording 7.5 sacks — nearly a quarter of the 34 career sacks he’s amassed since his rookie season. As the leader on the interior, Clark will be called upon again to be a force in the middle of the Packers defense.
The Packers have a new defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, whose new aggressive system should give Clark even more opportunities to be a game-wrecker in the middle. Hafley wants to focus on giving his linemen more opportunities to pass rush, and Clark excels at that.
The Packers have had a revolving door next to Clark for many years now. The team hopes Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks can lead a new group of interior linemen who can be as consistent as Clark has been in Green Bay.
The Pro-Bowler has only missed seven games since joining the Packers in 2016. While Clark didn’t have the most explosive rookie season, he’s been a constant, dominant force since his second season.
Few teams have a luxury like Clark. It’s incredible to play at such a high level for so long with such consistency. Clark has been elite in Green and Gold for eight years. He filled a hole left by former Packer great B.J. Raji, whose sudden retirement after the 2015 season prompted the Packers to call upon a youngster from UCLA to replace him.
Clark has done nothing but deliver for the Packers ever since, and he will continue to be a game-wrecker.
In a world with plenty of uncertainty on NFL rosters year after year, the Packers have an incredible asset and leader in the middle of the defense in Clark, and he’ll bring his stability for three more years in Green Bay.
All stats and data via ESPN and Green Bay Packers unless otherwise noted.
