What does DeMarcus Lawrence’s deal with Cowboys mean for Seahawks’ Frank Clark?

The Seahawks have until July to reach an agreement on a long-term deal with franchise-tagged defensive end Frank Clark. On Friday, a deal between the Dallas Cowboys and their top pass rusher offered a bit more clarification on what an offer to Clark could look like.

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“You’ve got your ceiling,” Brock Huard said during his Blue 42 segment of Brock and Salk on 710 ESPN Seattle. “So now you’ve got your floor and your ceiling. I think Trey Flowers is your floor. He gets $18.5 million per year, on average. He’s not nearly as explosive as Frank Clark. There’s also Dee Ford, who getting $17.5 million. So $18 million is the floor.

“And now DeMarcus Lawrence is the ceiling: $21 million per year, and $40 million guaranteed. The devil’s in the details, and we don’t know all of it until that contract fully comes out. But there’s your range for Frank Clark. Are you comfortable giving him that deal?”

Lawrence signed a five-year, $105 million extension with Dallas Friday. The deal guarantees Lawrence $65 million, the most ever guaranteed to a non-quarterback, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Clark, who played out the final year of his rookie deal in 2018, will play in 2019 under the franchise tag and become an unrestricted free agent in March 2020. The 25-year-old was Seattle’s top pass rusher last season and finished the year with a team-high 14 sacks and 27 quarterback hits.

Can the Seahawks afford to sign Clark to a deal worth up to $21 million per year, on average? The deadline to sign Clark will come during an offseason when Seattle will also need to consider extensions for quarterback Russell Wilson and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. Better yet – should they? Huard offered his answer during Monday’s episode of Blue 42, which you can listen to in the audio clip embedded above.

Huard: Franchise tag on Frank Clark comes with hidden cost for Seahawks