Kenny Clark, nose tackle of the Green Bay Packers, in the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, December 29, 2019. /VCG
The Green Bay Packers extended their contract with nose tackle Kenny Clark, making him the best-paid in his position with a four-year, 70-million-U.S.-dollar deal, announced Brian Gutekunst, the team's general manager on Saturday.
The deal contains a 25 million of signing bonus. Moreover, Clark will make 37 million in the first two years, according to his agent Doug Hendrickson.
Unlike others who usually waited to sign the new contract, Clark was waken up from sleep by the news of him becoming the 12th-highest paid defender in NFL history. Back then, he left the Packers' training facility at around 6:00 p.m. and was extremely exhausted. He was sleeping at 8:00 p.m. Then his phone began to buzz thanks to the messages from Hendrickson and his mom. Finally, Clark woke up at around midnight.
Kenny Clark #97, nose tackle of the Green Bay Packers, reacts to a play in the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, January 19, 2020. /VCG
"They were like, 'Man, we've got to get this deal done.' I was like, 'I was asleep.' We talked about it. He went through the numbers, went through everything, and I was like, 'Man, let's do it. I'm willing to do it.' This morning, we had to really move fast because we were getting ready to go out and practice," said Clark.
"I couldn't be happier for Kenny. Kenny is the epitome of what we're all about here. He works hard on a daily basis. He is becoming more of a vocal leader for us and I'm just really happy for him. We've got a lot of guys who are key members to our team whose contracts are coming up, so it definitely lets us kind of move on to the next guy," said Matt LaFleur, head coach of the Packers.
Kenny Clark #97, nose tackle of the Green Bay Packers, attempts to tackle Russell Wilson #3, quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks, in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, January 12, 2020. /VCG
"I think Kenny sometimes has been an underrated player for us over the years. He's a solid force inside. I think his game has expanded every year. His ability to pass rush I think has been the biggest jump," said quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
In the past four seasons, Clark had 16.5 sacks, 193 tackles and four forced fumbles (and recoveries). The next Packers who may receive new contracts are perhaps offensive tackle David Bakhtiari and running back Aaron Jones.