The New York Jets have made a trade but not the one everyone expected them to make. While they await for star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to decide if he wants to come to New York, the Jets decided to address other needs and have acquired safety Chuck Clark from the Baltimore Ravens.
According to NFL Network’s insider Ian Rapoport, the Jets are giving up a late-round draft for the 27-year-old.
Clark has been the Ravens’ starter at safety for the past four seasons, but the franchise planned to release him this offseason to make room for last year’s first-round selection Kyle Hamilton. By trading Clark, Baltimore receives at least some compensation instead of seeing a player they developed walk out for nothing.
The Jets, on the other hand, had one of the best defenses in 2022 but were evidently vulnerable in the safety position. Clark is expected to solve that issue, most likely starting alongside Jordan Whitehead. Veteran Lamarcus Joyner is set to become a free agent and is expected to play elsewhere in 2023.
Chuck Clark was the Ravens’ sixth-round selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. After two years of up and downs as a pro, he was pushed into a more prominent role in 2019 and made the most of it. His particular quality is versatility, as he lined up across multiple positions in 2022. The Virginia Tech product has 384 career tackles to go with 3.5 sacks, five interceptions, 32 passes defended, five forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns.
