John Schneider not expecting hold out from Frank Clark

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With a new contract in place for quarterback Russell Wilson, the Seahawks can now turn their attention toward franchise tag defensive end Frank Clark.

General Manager John Schneider spoke about Clark’s present and future with the Seahawks during his yearly charity dinner and auction to support Ben’s Fund. The charity is named after Schneider’s son and provides support to families affected by autism.

According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Schneider said he isn’t expecting a hold out from Clark if a new long-term deal isn’t reached this summer

“That’s not my understanding at all,” Schneider said. “We’ve had very direct conversations, both myself and Frank and people in the organization and Frank and obviously myself and his agent, Erik Burkhardt.”

It had been reported that Clark would not sign the franchise tag or attend training camp in the absence of a new deal. Even though players were prefer a chance at the open market, the franchise tag in this instance isn’t exactly the worst outcome for Clark. After four seasons of earning less than $1 million a year in base salary after being a second-round pick in 2015, the franchise tag represents a raise of over $16 million for 2019.

Trade rumors regarding Clark have also been lingering recently. Schneider said it’s just their standard approach of leaving no stone unturned.

“We are always trying to understand what the landscape is throughout the National Football League,” he said. “If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be doing our job. We can’t ever have our head in the sand with anything. But we love Frank, obviously. That’s why we franchised him.”