The Green Bay Packers have some difficult decisions to make in the next couple seasons, including what the future holds for three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Kenny Clark.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox named eight players around the NFL that could still be trade or cut candidates. Surprisingly, Knox named Clark was one of the top candidates, citing his current contract situation and the current defensive tackle market.
“With defensive tackle deals skyrocketing—Derrick Brown just got a four-year, $96 million extension from the Carolina Panthers—a third contract for Clark could be mighty expensive,” Knox wrote. “The Packers might be able to find a trade partner for Clark if a team in need of defensive line help—like the Browns or Dallas Cowboys—misses out on that position in the draft.”
Clark has been a staple of Green Bay’s defense for years. However, there’s an outside chance the Packers could move on from him, whether that’s this offseason or in 2025.
Kenny Clark Is Still a Top-Tier Defensive Lineman
Even if he doesn’t get the national recognition, Clark has been one of the most consistently dominant defensive linemen in the league over the last decade.
Clark was the 27th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of UCLA. He had a dominant final college season, earning third-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 honors to elevate his draft stock.
Since going pro, Clark has done nothing but dominate at the NFL level. He’s earned three Pro Bowl honors in eight seasons with 34 sacks, 10 pass deflections, and seven forced fumbles.
Pro Football Focus metrics also highlight his consistency over his career. He has only posted one season with an overall grade under 70, while logging at least 30 pressures in every season outside of his rookie year.
Clark is on the final year of a well-deserved four-year, $70 million extension. However, with the current defensive tackle market, he’s only 13th in average annual value among players at the position.
The Packers will need to give Clark an even bigger extension before the 2025 season if they want to keep him in Green Bay.
Other Packers Waiting On Extensions
Clark isn’t the only Packers player waiting on a contract extension. Fortunately, the Packers have over $68 million in cap space for 2025, and even more beyond that.
That cap space could run out quickly based on the team’s upcoming free agents. Jordan Love highlights the group, and is expected to get a deal that would put him at nearly the top of the quarterback market.
The Packers will have some other difficult decisions to make heading into 2026. The group of players with potentially expiring rookie deals include Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Zach Tom. That’s a ton of mouths to feed, and the Packers may not be as willing to pay market rate for key contributors on both sides of the ball.
The good news is that the Packers will have more than $123 million in cap space to work with in 2026. Still, general manager Brian Gutekunst will need to be selective with the money he’s handing out to keep key players in Green Bay in the next couple offseasons.
