Seahawks' Clark 'not scared' of franchise tag before long-term deal
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark is in no rush to reach a long-term deal, as he continues to emerge as one of the team's defensive leaders.
Clark is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but his agent, Erik Burkhardt, said his client doesn't want a deal that would be below his market value and would instead be willing to accept the franchise tag.
"Frank and I are not scared of the franchise tag. That's going to come in at about $18 million next year for a D-end on a one-year, fully-guaranteed deal. It's what (Ezekiel) Ansah and (Demarcus) Lawrence have done. They get that top-of-the-market value for one year, and 12 months later will get their long-term deal as well. That's winning," Burkhardt said, according to ESPN's Brady Henderson.
Clark has recorded 14 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles in six games this season. The 25-year-old has quietly developed into a top-end pass-rusher and Burkhardt is trying to ensure his client gains maximum value as opposed to settling for a short-term fix in the interim.
"I have had several very productive and positive talks with the Seahawks," Burkhardt said. "Frank loves it there and believes they'll continue to produce as one of the NFL's dominant defenses even with the departure of many great players. ... Seattle has been very good to him. They've believed in him from the beginning and they've continued to help develop him.
"But the financial goal for players in every major sport now is to get to free agency. It often baffles me how some of these agents do early deals just for the sake of doing a deal. I know that it's football and injury risks are very real, but there's insurance policies to protect players' downsides and risks, along with other measures that we put in place to protect our guys. Just to do an early deal for the sake of doing an early deal doesn't excite us, especially for a guy like Frank who's already a dominant pass-rusher in this league and is just scratching the surface of what he will be."
Clark was selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Seahawks.