Kenny Clark has been a staple of the Green Bay Packers’ defensive front since way back in 2016. That year, the Packers drafted Clark with the 27th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft out of UCLA—at the ripe old age of 20. He now has three Pro Bowls to his name and has been a defensive pillar through what is now a plethora of defensive coordinators. In fact, by my count, he is the last remaining player on the roster from before the Brian Gutekunst era, having been a Ted Thompson draft pick.
While it feels like he’s been around forever, it’s amazing that Clark is still just 29 years old—he won’t turn 30 until around Week 5 of this season. There’s no doubt that Kenny Clark will go down as one of the great Packers defensive tackles, but it definitely feels like he’s entering 2025 as potentially his final season in Green and Gold.
There’s no denying that 2024 may have been the worst season of Clark’s career. He did manage to start all 17 games plus a playoff appearance, but if you look at the numbers, you might have a hard time guessing that. Clark recorded 37 tackles (20 solo), five quarterback hits, and just one sack. He earned a 60.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF)—his lowest total production since his rookie season. Yet even in that 2016 campaign, he posted a higher PFF grade (74.8), albeit with fewer snaps.
For perspective, in 2023, Clark notched 44 tackles (22 solo), 7.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles—his best sack total in a season. Green Bay surely hoped he could replicate that in Jeff Hafley’s new scheme. Instead, at times, Clark looked like a total non-factor—especially in the pass rush.
According to PFF, Clark ranked 52nd out of 113 interior defensive linemen with at least 147 pass-rush snaps in terms of pass-rush productivity—a metric that combines sacks, hits, and hurries per snap. Compared to 2023, his sack rate dropped from 1.8% to 0.3%, and his total pressures fell from 61 to 33.
Normally, one down season wouldn’t warrant this level of scrutiny—especially for a player like Clark who often impacts games in ways that don’t show up on the stat sheet. But when you factor in the money, the situation becomes harder to justify. Among all NFL defensive linemen, Clark carries the fourth-highest cap hit. Being 143rd in sacks (with just one) while carrying a top-four cap charge is simply not a good return on investment, especially after the three-year contract extension he signed at the start of last training camp.
So, what’s behind the sudden and sharp decline? One could point to the scheme change—from Joe Barry’s 3-4 base defense to Jeff Hafley’s 4-3 system. Clark never looked fully comfortable in the new scheme. Or maybe he’s starting to slow down physically. He entered the league at 20 and is now approaching 30. Defensive tackle is among the most physically grueling positions in football, and Clark has faced double teams nearly every season of his career. It could be the toe injury that he suffered in week 1 against the Eagles in Brazil that likely lingered all season. He never missed any time so it probably never fully healed.
In his nine-year career so far, Clark has played 140 regular season games and 11 playoff contests—including three straight seasons without missing a game. During those three seasons, he logged snap counts of 78%, 72%, and 63% of the team’s defensive plays. It’s entirely possible that nearly a decade of trench warfare is starting to wear him down.
Thanks to the extension signed last July, Clark’s cap hit for 2025 is $20.4 million, and it balloons to $31.4 million in 2026. At this stage of the offseason, it doesn’t make much sense to move on from him, so Green Bay will be hoping for a vintage Kenny Clark performance. They didn’t address the defensive tackle position in the draft until the sixth round, with the selection of Warren Brinson. Compounding the issue, the team also lost nose tackle T.J. Slaton. Perhaps shifting Clark back to nose tackle—where he’s spent most of his career—could help spark a resurgence. The depth behind him there is very thin, even more reason to hope he bounces back and for the love of god stay healthy.
However you look at it, Kenny Clark is facing the most pivotal season of his career as he reaches the decade mark. It’s hard to imagine him playing for Green Bay in 2026 under his current contract, even with a good season—but a bounce-back campaign could change his fate from cap casualty to contract restructure candidate.
One thing is certain: Kenny Clark will once again be an essential piece of this Green Bay Packers defense, and how he performs in 2025 will determine whether he remains in the picture for 2026, or if he is looking for another team for the first time.