As part of his offseason work, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes signed veteran safety Chuck Clark to a one-year contract with a salary cap hit of just under $1.3 million.
The Lions, who are in the midst of Training Camp and are set to open the preseason on August 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals, are out to prove that this season will be different after just missing out on the playoffs in 2025 with a 9-8 record.
And for Clark, landing with the Lions is a “blessing”.
First Year Detroit Lions Safety Chuck Clark Said He’s Fortunate To Be With Detroit
Clark was signed to help bring depth to the tight end position, which has suffered multiple injuries.
“I’m handling it well, it’s football,” he said while speaking to journalist Brad Galli. “It’s always next man up, next man available. I’m just hammering away.”
“It was a big opportunity, for me it’s year 10. I know this team, they have a real shot to make it far, but the work has to be put in. It’s still early to be calling our shots and what not, but I like what’s on this team as far as the pieces, and what we can do and where we can go.”
Clark also said that going into his 10th NFL season, it was a blessing to join the Lions.
“Sixth round pick, you go through some adversity, make it to Year 10, I mean, it’s a blessing,” he said.
Clark and the Steelers fell short in the postseason last season, suffering what was the club’s seventh straight playoff defeat. And that’s a learning experience he hopes to bring to the Lions, a team set on returning to the playoffs this season.
“I think everybody has lessons and stories to give each other,” he said. “I can sit back and hear the things that happened here last year, and from my own experience and things I’ve been through in the NFL with different teams..it’s been a learning experience and a teaching experience. That’s just football, you hear stories and hear things from afar. But until you’re actually in that building and on that team and understand what goes on, then you truly understand.”
Chuck Clark Is Entering His 10th NFL Season
Clark attended King’s Fork High School in Suffolk, Virginia, where ESPN ranked him 34th among Virginia players and 145th in his region before he committed to Virginia Tech.
With the Hokies, Clark started 40 of 52 games and recorded 292 tackles. The Baltimore Ravens selected him in the sixth round (186th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft and signed him to a four-year, $2.57 million rookie deal.
After several seasons in Baltimore, Clark signed a three-year, $15.3 million extension with $10 million guaranteed. The Ravens traded him to the Jets in 2023 for a seventh-round pick.
His first season ended before the regular season after he tore his ACL during OTAs, but the Jets re-signed him to a one-year, $2 million deal the following offseason. Clark started 12 games and recorded 69 tackles, one sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and two pass breakups.
He later joined the Steelers, starting five games and racking up 51 tackles, three pass deflections, and a forced fumble.
Through his NFL career, Clark has recorded 504 tackles, five interceptions, seven forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, 37 passes defended, two defensive touchdowns, and 4.5 sacks.
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