The Kansas City Chiefs added a significant piece to their defensive rebuild on Tuesday by trading a pair of draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for defensive end Frank Clark, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Clark, who had yet to sign the $17.128 million franchise tag given to him by the Seahawks, has agreed to a five-year, $105.5 million deal that includes $63.5 million guaranteed, sources told Schefter.
The Chiefs parted with their first-round draft choice, which is 29th overall, and the teams will exchange third-round picks, sources told ESPN. The Chiefs also will send the lower of their two 2020 second-round draft picks to the Seahawks, sources told ESPN.
“I feel like I’m good. I wanted to be somewhere where I’m wanted, where I’m appreciated,” Clark told ESPN’s Josina Anderson on Tuesday. “I thank God that K.C. came in and showed that. … In life, you just want to be shown that you are appreciated sometimes, and I feel like this was one of those things.”
When: Thursday-Saturday
Where: Nashville, Tennessee
How to watch: ABC/ESPN/ESPN App
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Now that an agreement on a long-term deal is in place, Clark will fly to Kansas City to take a physical and finalize the trade, sources told ESPN. The agreement with Clark would eclipse the five-year, $105 million deal — but not the $65 million guaranteed — given to DeMarcus Lawrence by the Dallas Cowboys earlier this month.
Clark has 36 sacks in his four NFL seasons, including a team-high 14 with the Seahawks last season.
The Chiefs had one of the NFL’s worst defenses last season, and that liability kept them from the franchise’s first Super Bowl in 49 years. The Chiefs lost 37-31 in overtime in the AFC Championship Game to New England after losing the coin flip to begin the extra period and failing to stop the Patriots from driving for the winning touchdown.
Shortly afterward, the Chiefs replaced most of their defensive staff, including longtime coordinator Bob Sutton. Steve Spagnuolo replaced him and changed the base defensive system to a 4-3 from a 3-4.
The Chiefs cleared out three of their best defensive players in safety Eric Berry and linebackers Justin Houston and Dee Ford, who was designated with the franchise tag and then traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick in 2020. The Chiefs then signed or traded for five new starters, most notably Clark and safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Before the trade, the Seahawks had a league-low four picks in this year’s draft.
Clark also had four forced fumbles and an interception last season, and he added a sack in a wild-card playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
His 33 sacks since 2016 rank ninth in the league, and his 2,045 defensive snaps in that span are fewer than the eight players ahead of him, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Of the 21 players with at least 25 sacks since 2016, Clark’s average of a sack every 63.9 snaps ranks seventh.
The Seahawks recently added defensive ends Cassius Marsh and Nate Orchard in free agency. Dion Jordan, who spent the past two seasons with Seattle, remains unsigned.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson became the highest-paid player in the NFL when he signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension with the team last week.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson contributed to this report.
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