Jeff LegwoldESPN Senior Writer Jun 8 2023 3:29pm ET3 minute read
Peyton Manning reveals Broncos schedule ‘The Office’ style
Peyton Manning and various cast members from “The Office” join forces to reveal the Denver Broncos’ 2023 roster.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has promised there will be “roster changes” on the team in the coming weeks, and they will be plentiful.
To that end, veteran defensive end Frank Clark agreed to a one-year deal with the Broncos Thursday, according to multiple team sources. A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Clark’s deal could be worth up to $7.5 million, including a guaranteed $5.5 million base salary.
Clark, who turns 30 on Wednesday, was fired by the Kansas City Chiefs on March 1 when they failed to agree on a revised contract with his agent Erik Burkhardt.
The Broncos have some marginal space on the depth chart, as linebacker Baron Browning, who hasn’t participated in fieldwork in OTAs, recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair some cartilage damage and Randy Gregory sustained an injury season in the year 2022, which included a knee injury.
Gregory was one of the Broncos’ biggest free-agent acquisitions a year ago when he signed a five-year, $70 million deal. But due to a knee injury in Week 4, Gregory only played six games and finished the game with two sacks.
Payton has consistently stated the team will take steps to retool a thin roster. The Broncos haven’t made the playoffs since their Super Bowl 50 win to close out the 2015 season.
“I’ve said it before: you’ll move certain groups of positions depending on whether you have the opportunity to scrutinize other players,” Payton said after practice on Thursday.
The Seattle Seahawks traded Clark to the Chiefs in 2019. In his four seasons with the Chiefs, he played in 58 regular season games for a total of 23.5 sacks.
Clark often had his most productive games in the postseason. Clark played in 12 playoff games for the Chiefs and had 10.5 sacks. After the 2019 season, he had three sacks in a divisional round game against the Houston Texans. Counting his time with the Seahawks, Clark has 13.5 postseason sacks in his career, ranking third all-time.
Clark was suspended by the NFL for two games during the 2022 season for violating the league’s personal conduct guidelines. Clark pleaded in Los Angeles in September that he did not contest two counts of negligent possession of an assault weapon and was sentenced to a year’s probation and 40 hours of community service.
He was selected to the Pro Bowl three times and has amassed 58.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles in his career.
ESPN’s Adam Teicher contributed to this report.