Packers create more needed cap space with Kenny Clark contract restructure
By Paul Bretl
The Green Bay Packers continue to use contract restructures to create cap space, something that Brian Gutekunst alluded to the team doing in his end-of-season press conference. The latest move, like the ones before it, is not surprising, with Field Yates reporting that Green Bay reworked the contract of Kenny Clark.
Clark’s cap hit in 2023 prior to this move was set to be $23.97 million. He was a prime contract restructure candidate because of his $2 million roster bonus due on March 17th, along with a $13 million base salary. The cap hits from those are all incurred in the current cap year. However, by converting $13.835 million of Clark’s 2023 compensation to a signing bonus, as Yates reported, that can be prorated over the life of his deal.
Ken Ingalls, who independently tracks the Packers’ salary cap, also added that a void year was added to Clark’s deal. This is strictly a bookkeeping measure that reduces the cap hit from the signing bonus because there is now an additional year to push cap charges to. This is not, however, an extension. Clark’s deal still ends following the 2024 season. Before this restructure, he already had two void years in his contract for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Although these restructures create needed cap space now, it’s important to keep in mind that there is a downside, with Clark’s cap hits in future years now increasing because of the extra cap charges pushed into them from 2023.
In total, this move created $11.068 million in additional cap space for the Packers. They now have roughly $17 million available, after also restructuring Jaire Alexander, Aaron Jones, and Preston Smith’s contracts, to help address some of their biggest positional needs in free agency which include safety, tight end, and receiver.
Clark finished the 2022 season with 45 pressures and five sacks, according to PFF. When the defense was playing its best, Clark, along with the rest of the defensive front, were playing their best football as well, creating more consistent pressure and holding up against the run.
The Packers will still need to create additional cap space. Other contract extension candidates include Rasul Douglas, De’Vondre Campbell, David Bakhtiari, Pat O’Donnell, and Jon Runyan, all of whom have either roster bonuses due, base salaries that can be converted, or both.