On the final play of the final Jets organized workforce exercise final spring, Chuck Clark felt some ache in his knee.
He ran off the sector and figured it was simply typical soreness. He spent the weekend pondering the ache would quickly go away. It didn’t. He had torn his ACL, and his 2023 season was over earlier than it even began.
“I couldn’t imagine it when it did occur,” Clark stated Tuesday. “I wasn’t accepting it, you already know? So, I used to be like, ‘I’m transferring round. It’s simply not true.’ ”
The Jets acquired Clark in March 2023 in a commerce with the Ravens.
They despatched a seventh-round choose on this 12 months’s draft to accumulate the protection, who admits he got here to the workforce with a chip on his shoulder.
Jets coaches beloved what they noticed of Clark final spring and had been heartbroken when he went down with the harm. One supply not too long ago pointed to Clark’s harm as the very first thing that went mistaken for the workforce final 12 months.
Clark spent the season in Florham Park rehabbing his knee and watching his teammates follow and play video games, sidelined for the primary time in his life.
“That was the primary time in 23-plus years that I hadn’t performed soccer within the fall time,” Clark stated. “So simply seeing all people go on the market and line up for video games and getting the sport plan and whatnot, and I used to be seeing it from afar, you already know, watching by means of the home windows in the course of the exercises, I feel that that was the hardest half. ”
The Jets re-signed Clark this offseason to a one-year deal price a assured $1.125 million. Clark is projected to begin alongside Tony Adams at security.
Final 12 months, Clark talked about his want to show individuals mistaken after the commerce from the Ravens. He stated he has not misplaced that fireplace.
“I imply, I ain’t forgot about that,” Clark stated. “I’ve nonetheless obtained that chip on my shoulder. However I feel going by means of that harm course of, it simply gave me a brand new gratitude and gratefulness for this sport. I’ve nonetheless obtained quite a bit to show. I missed the entire 12 months.
“Folks could be like, ‘Oh, he misplaced a step.’ Yeah, all proper. Watch.”
Clark grew to become expendable in Baltimore after the Ravens drafted Kyle Hamilton within the first spherical in 2022 and signed Marcus Williams in free company. Clark’s taking part in time decreased, and his want to go someplace else elevated.
The Jets are enthusiastic about what he can add to an already formidable protection.
“He appears to be like good,” coach Robert Saleh stated. “He’s labored his tail off. He’s been right here daily. He didn’t should. Even final 12 months in the course of the season, he didn’t should be right here to rehab, however he was right here and staying related to the workforce. He’s placing collectively an excellent OTA, and [we’re] excited concerning the trajectory at which he’s going.”
Clark was grateful that the Jets wished him again after lacking final season.
“Simply within the brief time that I had final 12 months, most likely I’d say six weeks to get to point out what I might do,” Clark stated, “It meant quite a bit for them to hit me again and be like, ‘Hey, man, we would like you again.’ ”
Clark is able to benefit from his second probability with the workforce.
“That’s the loopy factor, is like, yeah, I missed a 12 months however you will have a number of ideas getting in your head,” Clark stated. “Like, man, going into Yr 7 and also you tear your ACL, it’s most likely one of many worst issues that might occur that we consider as gamers.
“And it’s like, yeah, that occurred, however I knocked that course of down and I’m again and I’m like, all proper, cool.”
