On the day he reported to veterans training camp, the Green Bay Packers and three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Kenny Clark agreed to a three-year, $64 million contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
According to Rapoport, the deal will pay Clark $29 million in 2024, which is nearly double his salary this year.
Clark’s previous contract was set to run through 2024. If the extension of his elderly deal extends it by three years, Clark would be bound to Green Bay through the 2027 season.
According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal SentinelClark will receive a signing bonus of $17.5 million.
Clark, a first-round pick by the Packers in 2016 and the team’s longest-tenured player, made his third Pro Bowl appearance in 2023. He recorded a career-high 7.5 sacks and 16 quarterback pressures, along with nine tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. According to Pro Football Focus, Clark led the Packers and ranked sixth among NFL defensive linemen with 66 total pressures in 2023.
The deal will be Clark’s third with the Packers. His previous deal was for four years and $70 million. Although he was drafted in 2016, Clark is just 28 and won’t turn 29 until October.
At three years and $64 million, Clark’s fresh deal averages $21.3 million per year. That number would put him just outside the top 10 among interior defensive linemen by annual average.
Clark’s contract extension likely sets the stage for the Packers to reach a fresh deal with quarterback Jordan Love, who reported to training camp on Sunday. Love is also entering the final year of his current deal, but a lucrative fresh deal is just around the corner for another of the Packers’ franchise mainstays.
