Countdown to Seahawks franchise tagging Frank Clark has begun

Tuesday was the first day a team could franchise tag a player. The Seahawks will probably do so with Frank Clark until he signs an extension.

The Seahawks have until March 5th to either reach an extension with Frank Clark or franchise tag him. If Seattle does not franchise tag Clark and do not sign him to an extension, Clark is free to go elsewhere. Seattle will not let this happen.

Seattle simply cannot afford to let Clark walk. They may have to pay him tons of money to keep him, but Clark would probably be worth it. And though Seattle management wouldn’t admit it publicly, the Seahawks have little choice but to find a way to retain Clark.

Beyond Clark, Seattle has no proven production at edge rusher and no real prospects. 12s hope that Jacob Martin and Rasheem Green can contribute but there is no evidence yet that they consistently can. Clark not staying in Seattle means Seattle will not stay in the playoff picture in 2019. Seattle already had issues getting to the opposing quarterback from anyone other than Clark or Jarran Reed. Losing one of them would be a travesty.

Clark is among a group of players expected to be franchise tagged. This group includes a bunch of other pass rushers. Every team needs a player like Clark and most likely these players will stick with the teams they have been playing for.

There are several estimates from sites, like Spotrac, that think Clark will make between $15-17 million if he is tagged. He might make near this much even if he gets an extension. Either way, it would be money well-spent by the Seahawks. Clark needs to return to Seattle.