Seattle Seahawks: 5 Biggest free agent signings for 2019 so far

Frank Clark

The Frank Clark situation is far from resolved, but things are going in the right direction. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Clark will not sign the tag and plans to hold out until a long-term deal is in place.

There have been several recent cases of players planning holdouts to earn more money or get better deals. Earl Thomas held out last year, but ended up reporting, playing and breaking his leg. The injury cost him the highest paying deal in history for a safety this offseason. Le’Veon Bell refused to play at all last season when the Steelers tagged him and he ended up seemingly losing money in the long run.

There have also been instances where players such as Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack have successfully pressured their teams and come out as winners.

The Seahawks are still working to get a deal done with Clark and they should do everything they can to make sure this is taken care of. Nobody wants another Le’Veon Bell situation, especially since Seattle will have plenty of big names to extend next offseason. Clark had his best year as a pro in 2018 when he recorded 41 combined tackles, 13 sacks and three forced fumbles. The Seahawks want to keep him around as the defensive line’s cornerstone.

If Clark signs the franchise tag, he will be paid $17.128 million in 2019. For reference, J.J. Watt is only set to make $13 million in base salary in 2019, more than $4 million less than what Clark is looking at. The point being, the Seahawks aren’t trying to cheat Clark out of a payday. He’s going to be making loads of money even without a long-term deal.

If the Seahawks do hammer out a deal with Clark, it will probably look similar to, if not surpassing, the five-year, $90 million deal that Trey Flowers signed with the Lions. That’s equivalent to $18 million per year. Here’s hoping the Seahawks are willing to pay deep into their pockets to pay Clark because if they don’t, we won’t be seeing much of him in 2019.