It's common for the Green Bay Packers to extend its own players. After all, keeping successful picks is a key part of the draft and develop strategy. Third contracts, though, are a different conversation. That's why it was somewhat surprising to see Kenny Clark's early extension last offseason, when he still had a year left on his old contract.
"Not only is he an elite player, but he's an elite locker room guy. It made a ton of sense," Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said last year. "For a third contract guy, which we don't do a ton of, he's still a very young player. He's played a lot of snaps, played a lot of football, but he is a very young player. He's built to last. Hopefully that is the case."
For the Packers, it has been rare to hand third deals to their draft picks. Usually, these are older players being compensated based on what they did, and it's hard to replicate the production.
Outside of quarterbacks, some examples include wide receiver Jordy Nelson—who was a successful contract for the most part but ended up released before his final season— and left tackle David Bakhtiari—a deal that was a complete disaster because of a career-altering knee injury.
Early results
As Gutekunst mentioned, Clark is relatively young. He was 20 when drafted in 2016, so now he's 29. But mileage matters too, and the defensive tackle showed some concerning signs in 2024.
It's hard to know exactly how much it was pure regression or just adapting to a new scheme under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. But Clark had the worst season of his NFL career.
Clark finished the season with 33 total pressures, only the sixth best mark in nine NFL seasons. The 63.1 pass rush grade by PFF was the worst, and in terms of run defense he's been long removed from his great performances early in his career. After having 7.5 sacks in 2023, he had only one in 2024, the worst number since his rookie year.
Contract structure and decision
The Packers gave Clark a three-year, $64 million extension. However, only the $17.5 million signing bonus was fully guaranteed at signing.
The defensive tackle made $29 million in 2024 and will make $10.5 million in 2025—it's a common structure for the Packers to give players a low Year 2 salary for cap hit purposes.
Clark is slated to make $21.5 million in 2026 and $20 million in 2027, the last two years of his deal. But without guarantees left, this next season will be a key to his future with the Packers.
If he goes back to normal and plays at a high level in 2025, Clark is still the most complete and impactful defensive lineman on the roster—especially because TJ Slaton is a free agent, while Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks are mostly designated interior rushers. In this case, it would make total sense to keep the veteran around.
However, if Clark keeps playing underwhelmingly, it will be easier for the Packers to part ways with him next offseason, leaving behind $17 million in dead money (an amount already paid but that hasn't hit the cap yet) and creating $14 million in cap savings.
