Breaking: Rams agrees deal to sign $27.5 million defensive tackle to replace Aaron Donald

If the L.A. Rams can’t find a defensive tackle in the draft who can sit on Aaron Donald’s throne for a while, maybe they can do it in trade. Or free agency. And the top name on everyone’s list is going to be Kenny Clark.

As written by Acme Packing Company, the Packers are entering a desperate situation with regard to Clark’s 2024 cap number, meaning that Green Bay probably needs to extend Clark to lower it…or risk parting ways with Clark somehow in the next 10 months.

With that being said, there is one major extension this offseason that is closer to a true fork in the road situation. On the Packers’ 2024 cap table, the number one cap hit on the squad this season is 29-year-old defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who carries a $27.5 million cap hit in a contract year. For perspective, Green Bay only has one other player — cornerback Jaire Alexander — who has a cap hit north of $14.4 million, roughly half of Clark’s 2024 number.

According to Over the Cap, Clark has a 2023 valuation of around $12.8 million per season, which essentially matched his cap hit last year — $12.9 million. Due to Clark essentially having his base salary turned into a signing bonus in every year of his contract extension with the addition of void years, though, the final year of his deal — 2024 — has led to the ballooned $27.5 million cap figure this season.

Even if the Packers let Clark play out this season, Clark will count $13.7 million against the team’s salary cap in 2025 — beyond his $27.5 million cap hit in 2024. And that’s with him hitting free agency. The Packers essentially have $41.2 million remaining to account for in cap dollars for Clark’s remaining lone season on his contract. You don’t have to be a cap guru to realize why the team might want to do something about that.

Though there have been rumors of a potential Kenny Clark trade all year due to his cap hit and entering a contract year, most Packers fans and media agree that parting ways is unlikely due to his immense value in Green Bay. This hasn’t stopped the team from trading Aaron Rodgers or Davante Adams, but there were extenuating circumstances in those situations.

“Kenny Clark is one of our leaders,” said Matt LaFleur following the season. “No question about it. Another guy that continues to battle. He certainly leads that defensive line room. He’s a big leader not only on the defense but for this football team. Not always the most outspoken, but he certainly does it with his play and his actions and how he prepares on a weekly basis. We are fortunate to have a guy like that in our locker room.”

On a still-young Packers tewithhas (sic) lofty expectations this season, there will need to be some veteran presence throughout to help Green Bay evolve and succeed. Trading Kenny Clark for draft considerations may sound good on paper. But he’s far too valuable, even if it’s just for one more season or a shorter extension. When you consider that Clark is still playing at a Pro Bowl level — and that, with Aaron Donald retiring, he could be an All-Pro — it’s hard to imagine a return that would have more of an impact than what Clark brings to Green Bay.

The 28-year-old defensive tackle with the 27th pick in the 2016 draft and has been a Pro Bowl nose tackle in three of the past five seasons. He had a career-high 7.5 sacks in 2023 and could be even better in new defensive coordinator Jeff Hartley’s scheme in 2024.

But Clark also knows that fellow defensive tackles are now making nearly $30 million per season and the Packers know that they soon need to pay Jordan Love a massive contract extension.

This offseason, the Chiefs paid Chris Jones $31.75 million per year, the Raiders paid Christian Wilkins $27.5 million per year, and the Ravens paid Justin Madubuike $24.5 million per year. Even if OTC “values” Clark at $13 million per year, a team will certainly overvalue him if he becomes available in trade or free agency. If Clark was a free agent this year, he’d be making over $25 million per season, so his actual cap number this year is not that out of line with what he’d make on the open market.

Will the Packers pay it? Probably. Not only because he’s good, but because it would save Green Bay a lot of money to extend him. However, they’d also save money to trade him if the right opportunity comes up and if the two sides stick it out through the season and he makes it to 2025 free agency, he’ll still be a hot commodity when he’s 29.

It could be difficult for the Packers to franchise tag Clark in 2025 and he would want that sort of big defensive tackle money. The Rams are always a team interested in big name free agents and players on the trade market, plus they happen to have a massive AD-sized hole on the defensive line.

Even if Braden Fiske turns out to be a really good selection to pair with Kobie Turner, there’s little doubt that Kenny Clark is an upgrade to put on any defensive line. He’d open the door for Turner and Fiske in a way that is at least similar to Donald, though nobody will ever be THAT good.

Clark may not want to leave the Packers like Rodgers and Adams did, but sometimes you don’t get what you want. Do the Rams have what Clark needs?

His situation is one to monitor until he is either extended or put on the market.