Do Seahawks need to get a deal done with DE Frank Clark?

Wednesday’s open OTA session won’t just give reporters another chance to see the progress of this year’s Seahawks squad – it’ll also be a chance to see whether the handful of players who were absent from the first series of voluntary workouts return this week. And chief among last week’s absentees were free safety Earl Thomas, cornerback Byron Maxwell, and defensive end Frank Clark.

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“This is a page out of Marshawn Lynch’s book, this is a page out of Michael Bennett’s book,” Brock Huard said in his Blue 42 segment of Brock and Salk Tuesday when asked whether Clark’s absence was bad news. “I’m not saying this is all negative, or that Michael Bennett was a bad teammate by any means. Michael Bennett got what he wanted and that was a new contract; that was a third deal, that was some extra money. And Frank Clark is sitting here right now looking at that room and taking a page out of those guys’ playbook. Show me the money, pay me.”

Clark is entering the final year of his $3.7 million rookie deal. His teammate, Earl Thomas, has voiced his desire for an extension as he heads into the final year of his respective contract with Seattle. (Thomas was also absent from OTAs last week, though head coach Pete Carroll said he expects the All Pro to return for minicamp June 12.) Clark finds himself in a unique situation; Seattle is entering the season without longtime starting defensive ends Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, making the 24-year-old Clark one of the most valuable returning veterans to the defensive line.

“We’ll get a chance this week and next week, and then out at minicamp, to (take another look at the Seahawks) and I really hope to see Frank Clark out there,” Huard said. “I hope it was more of, ‘I’m not going to sit out every one of these, but I am going to remind you guys that I’m not happy and I would like to see a deal get done.’ And John Clayton says that’s the highest priority. I think Duane Brown is number one, but Frank Clark is probably number two on that list. And if both sides are reasonable, there is enough cap space to get deals done with both of them. And I think that line of scrimmage still remains a priority.”

‘I wouldn’t overreact’

And there’s a chance Clark could be there when the Seahawks hit the practice field tomorrow. ESPN’s Mike Sando told John Clayton Tuesday on 710 ESPN Seattle that despite not being present last Thursday, Clark has participated in other voluntary workouts.

“With Frank Clark, my understanding is he’s been there are certain points of the offseason,” Sando said. “It’s not like he’s just staying away the whole time. I know he wasn’t there when we had media access last week. I’m sure the contract is part of that. But if you look at the other defensive linemen that they’re had there, whether it was (Cliff) Avril or Michael Bennett, I don’t know that they were always there for all of the voluntary sessions either. So I wouldn’t overreact to Clark.”