Chiefs expected to cut defensive end who won two Super Bowls with team: source

The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to release defensive end Frank Clark, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to The Star on Monday.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report the news Monday afternoon, tweeting that Clark’s agent met with Chiefs officials multiple times last week during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis; Schefter reported the two sides were “unable to find common ground on a reworked deal.”

During an interview with reporters at the Combine last week, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach had initially kept the door open for a Clark reunion.

“We’ll probably, to a certain extent, need some cap space. But we have a long history with him and his agent, too,” Veach said on Tuesday, Feb. 28. “So he’ll be one of the many conversations we have this week. Look forward to getting with him and seeing if we can work something out that makes sense for both parties.”

Clark faced a similar situation to last offseason because of his contract. He had a large cap number for 2023 — $28,765,000, according to OverTheCap.com — with the Chiefs able to save about $21 million in salary-cap dollars if they released him before June 1.

Last year, the Chiefs restructured Clark’s deal in March to shift money while creating extra cap room as the two parties found a middle ground.

The Chiefs still owe Clark $7,675,000 this season, even without him returning to the roster. That’s why it potentially made sense to pay Clark slightly more than that to stay with KC — while also creating cap room — even if those discussions eventually stalled.

Clark, 29, won two Super Bowls in his four seasons with the Chiefs. He had a bounce-back year this past season after dedicating himself to losing weight, as his 64.0 Pro Football Focus combined grade from the regular season and postseason was his highest during his four seasons with KC. He also posted nine sacks while improving his play against the run.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Clark have a close bond, with Clark recently referring to Reid as a “father figure.” Clark and Reid are both originally from Los Angeles.

Reid didn’t hold back his feelings about Clark when asked about him last week about a potential reunion in Kansas City.

“I love Frank Clark,” Reid said. “Veach has got to juggle all these different things going on (with the contract), but Frank is top-notch — a top-notch guy. I love him, love him to death.”

Clark has a reputation for performing in the postseason, as his 13.5 career playoff sacks are the third-most in NFL history.

It wasn’t the only major Chiefs news from Monday, as KC also won’t be applying the franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, according to a Star source.

The Star’s Herbie Teope contributed to this report.