Seahawks lost Frank Clark, gained two starting defensive ends and more

Blitz

Well-known member
Mar 20, 2019
2,127
0
ap_18322701260165-1.jpg

Getty Images

When the Seahawks traded Frank Clark to the Chiefs, they lost their top pass rusher. But they’ve now gained so much that it’s hard not to see the trade as a big win for Seattle.

The Seahawks just signed free agent defensive end Ziggy Ansah to a one-year deal worth a reported $5.5 million guaranteed. They also drafted defensive end L.J. Collier with the first-round pick they got from the Chiefs for Clark. There’s a good chance that Ansah and Collier will be the Seahawks’ two starting defensive ends, one acquired by trading Clark and one acquired for much less salary cap space than the Seahawks would have had to to pay Clark on the one-year, $17.1 million guaranteed contract Clark would have made if he played on the franchise tag.

That’s not all the Seahawks got for Clark. They also still have a 2020 second-round draft pick coming to them. And the cost of Ansah, Collier (whose rookie contract will be a four-year deal worth around $11 million) and that second-round pick combined will be significantly less than the five-year, $105 million contract the Chiefs gave Clark.

As we’ve previously noted, the Seahawks gained big by franchising Clark and then trading him, rather than just letting him walk in free agency. If Clark had left as a free agent, the Seahawks would have received only a 2020 third-round compensatory pick for him.

At first glance, it might look like the Seahawks took a big hit when they lost their top pass rusher. But when looking at the totality of the moves the Seahawks have made — losing Clark and gaining Ansah, Collier, a 2020 second-round draft pick and additional salary cap space that may help them lock up another defensive starter like linebacker Bobby Wagner or defensive tackle Jarran Reed, both of whom are heading into the final seasons of their contracts — it appears that the Seahawks handled this offseason perfectly.
 
Top