Frank Clark to Chiefs: Grade, reaction and more

On Tuesday, Kansas City completed a trade to acquire star pass rusher Frank Clark from the Seattle Seahawks for a first and second round pick, who won?

The Kansas City Chiefs agreed to trade their 2019 first-round pick (No. 29 overall) and a 2020 second-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for defensive end, pass-rushing specialist Frank Clark.

Kansas City Chiefs – D

While Kansas City had an extra pick in the 2020 second round from their trade of Dee Ford to San Francisco, it is hard to see how this is a win for the team.

From a football standpoint ,Clark is an obvious upgrade over every pass rusher on the team. He’s accumulated 35 sacks in three seasons. That’s more than any other player currently on the Chiefs roster for their entire career.

However, the other two angles that make this a loss for Kansas City are the finances and the business side. For starters, the deal will be accompanied by a long-term extension. That contract will likely look very similar to the deal Dallas signed with Demarcus Lawrence recently, a five-year, $105 million extension with $65 million guaranteed. That is a significant investment in a player that, albeit has been good, is also carrying a lot of baggage.

And that’s the second issue: Clark was twice charged with crimes in college (breaking and entering and burglary; and domestic violence). A franchise still dealing with the fallout from running back Kareem Hunt’s cutting last October; coupled with an ongoing investigation into child abuse involving star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cannot afford to be taking chances like this one.

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Seattle Seahawks – A

The Seahawks win this trade in a landslide. They essentially got top-tier compensation from the Chiefs (future second rounders are graded as a first), and went from having four picks in the 2019 draft to having five, including two first rounders (either of which could be parlayed in to more picks).

Obviously, the team lost a tremendous talent. But they preserved $20 million per year in cap space in the process, that can be used to ensure they’re building the best team possible around the newly anointed highest paid player in football (quarterback Russell Wilson).