Buffalo Bills take aim at Seahawks’ star pass rusher Frank Clark
By Paul Taylor
The Buffalo Bills are reportedly interested in Frank Clark, but how realistic is it to expect the defensive end to move to Western New York?
Everyone loves a trier; somebody who continually steps up to the plate, no matter how many times they strike out. Based on events of these last few days, the Buffalo Bills fit into this category.
As we covered on Friday, the Bills were apparently close to trading for four-time First-team All-Pro Antonio Brown. The deal feel apart however, with Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer suggesting the wide receiver made it clear he didn’t want to go to Buffalo.
Whether this proved to be a blessing in disguise given Brown’s reputation, is open to debate. Regardless, the Bills are not holding back in continuing to aim high when it comes to top-level talent.
As per Ryan Talbot of Newyorkupstate.com, the Bills are reportedly interested in acquiring Frank Clark. The apparent interest was initially broken by Jay Glazer of Fox NFL Sunday.
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Certainly, Clark would be an excellent addition to the Bills’ roster. He is an excellent, young pass rusher, who is still improving and coming off his best season yet in the NFL.
The 25-year-old set career-highs with 13 sacks, 27 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He also had 41 combined tackles and the first interception of his NFL career, while starting all 16 games.
Of course, even with all this, there is the problem of actually persuading the Seattle Seahawks to trade their star pass rusher. The team recently used their franchise tag on Clark and he is in line to earn $17 million in 2019.
However, the understanding is that while the Seahawks have done this, they will still look to negotiate a long-term extension with the Bakersfield, California native. In this respect, it would take a significant return package to entice them to trade him.
Talbot refers to the financial aspect as a potential positive to help the Bills acquire Clark. The Seahawks currently only have around $33 million in cap space for the coming season; moving the defensive end would therefore free up more valuable room.
By comparison, the Bills currently have the fourth-highest cap space for 2019, with around $73.3 million available. They have more than enough room to pay Clark.
One other possible positive is the relationship between the two teams. As Glazer notes, the Bills’ Director of Player Personnel Dan Morgan is close to the Seahawks’ general manager John Schneider.
Overall, when taking everything into account, the reality is the Bills are unlikely to acquire Clark. However, they still deserve credit for attempting to make a move for a player who would undoubtedly upgrade the defense; keep on swinging Buffalo.
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What’s your opinion of the Buffalo Bills’ apparent interest in Clark? Would you be on board with such a trade and what would you be prepared to give up for him in return? Let us know in the comments section below.