Anyone who has followed Frank Clark’s career with the Kansas City Chiefs can agree that the 29-year-old’s tenure with the team has seen its highs and lows.
In 2019, it was Clark who received a massive contract from the club after being acquired via trade, and then stood out in some of the most critical moments en route to a Super Bowl title. However, after that, his health became an issue and his game suffered as a result. Clark recorded just six sacks in 2020, plagued by inconsistencies on and off the field. Last season, he got into some trouble off the field and had the fewest sacks (4.5) since his rookie season in 2015.
Despite that, Clark agreed to a restructured contract with the Chiefs that lowered his salary cap to $13.7 million for 2022 when many believed he would be fired from the team earlier in the summer. Negotiating that fit didn’t seem like a difficult decision for Clark, as he’s a big fan of where he is now.
“I love being here,” Clark said. “I love Chiefs Kingdom. We built something special every time he came here. Four years later, I love being here. I love my companions. My boy Chris Jones is one of my best friends. We have unfinished work. I feel like last year we left it with a pretty bitter taste. (We) had high hopes but we didn’t achieve our goals. (We) didn’t win the AFC Championship, we didn’t go back to the Super Bowl. You know how we are, we have high standards here. We want to set the bar high and keep it there. And like I said, we left on a sour note. I wanted to come back and end on a good note.”
Scroll to Continue
What exactly a “good note” would consist of this season remains to be seen, but Clark is certainly making an effort. After the conclusion of the season, he made lifestyle changes that make him look and feel healthier (lighter) as the 2022 campaign approaches. Clark no longer drinks liquor, and he thinks that might have been the which caused him stomach problems which, in turn, hampered his game in recent years. He also changed his diet, which he has gone hand in hand with eliminating alcohol to help him be able to work hard in the offseason.
“Really, one of the main things is that I cut out a lot of red meat,” Clark said. “I stopped drinking liquor. Alcohol is a big factor in a lot of things weight-wise, that cut, it’s all sugar. So at the end of the day, I stopped drinking liquor right after the season, honestly. It was February (when he) he was sick, he had stomach problems and gastrointestinal problems. I haven’t had any since I stopped drinking liquor and it started to make more sense. As I progress, I train, I feel that my body responds to me. I am able to get up. I can exercise at all hours of the day, at all hours of the night. It was a commitment I made.”
That commitment could have Clark primed for something of a resurgence this year. He is the most regular member of the Chiefs’ defensive end group, leading the likes of rookie George Karlaftis and second-year players Joshua Kaindoh and Malik Herring. Finding the spotlight won’t be a problem, and the addition of veteran Carlos Dunlap could take some of the pressure off Clark to be the only “proven” defensive end in the room. When asked about his expectations for himself this season, Clark said that he is as focused on himself as he is on newcomers like Karlaftis. He wants everyone to thrive once the regular season rolls around.
“Be the best I can be,” Clark said. “The best teammate I can be, helping these youngsters. We have some young guys. I have George (Karlaftis), who is a first-round guy who should be ready to play. So at the end of the day, part of what I’m doing in practice is helping you understand the system faster. As a newbie, I know how hard it can be to get in when you have all these different things. You have people, your family, friends, all of them (are) on your back and things like that. And for a guy like George, a Big 10 guy, I’m a guy from Michigan, so we got that Big 10 link. I just want to see him succeed. When he lines up on the other side of me, on the inside, wherever he lines up, I just want to see him succeed at the end of the day.”
Source: www.si.com