The Green Bay Packers are expecting to pick up Kenny Clark’s fifth-year option before the May 3rd deadline.
“We haven’t yet, certainly we expect that will happen here,” Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said Monday.
Clark, a first-round pick in the 2016 draft, will be under contract through 2020 once the fifth-year option is exercised. NFL teams have the opportunity to exercise the option on all first-round picks.
Clark has developed into one of the game’s best young interior disruptors during his first three NFL seasons.
“He’s obviously a dominant player for us on our defensive front. I think the best is yet to come,” Gutekunst said.
The Packers made Clark the 27th overall pick in 2016. He’s produced 10.5 sacks, 15 tackles for losses, 19 quarterback hits and three forced fumbles in 44 games. He was a Pro Bowl alternate last season after tallying career highs in sacks (6.0), tackles for losses (eight) and quarterback hits (nine).
The last time the Packers picked up a fifth-year option was 2017 (Ha Ha Clinton-Dix). The team made that decision on May 1. Expect Gutekunst to pick up Clark’s option once the draft, which begins Thursday, wraps up.
