12:04pm: According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), Clark’s deal is actually a minimum salary benefit contract, including a $955K base salary ($80K guaranteed) and a $65K signing bonus. That still works out to $145K in guaranteed money for Clark, but ensures that Washington’s cap hit is only $635K.
THURSDAY, 9:51am: Clark’s one-year contract is worth $1MM, which includes a $145K signing bonus, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. It’s the same deal Brandon Meriweather received from the team last month.
WEDNESDAY, 9:10am: The Redskins have officially announced the signing of Clark, who inked his deal today (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 5:12pm: The Redskins have agreed to terms with safety Ryan Clark, tweets Chris Russell of ESPN Radio 980 in Washington D.C.. Joel Turner, the agent for the 12-year veteran, offered “no comment” in regards to the report, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times.
The team was actively looking for a safety, even after re-signing one of last year’s starters, Brandon Meriweather. Clark met with the Redskins a couple of weeks ago, but the player left Washington without a deal. The Washington Post’s Mike Jones reported that the player was asking for more money than the team was willing to spend.
The 34-year-old was drafted all the way back in 2002 by the Giants, where he spent two seasons. Clark played for the Redskins for the next two years before joining the Steelers in 2006. Over the next eight seasons, Clark became one of Pittsburgh’s most reliable defensive players, appearing in 111 of a possible 128 games.
Clark had a career-high 104 tackles to go along with two interceptions in 2013. In Steelers history, Clark ranks seventh in passes defended and tenth in tackles.
As DeSean Jackson visits the Redskins this evening, John Keim of ESPN.com mentions (via Twitter) that the team would want to bolster the locker room with leadership, which Clark certainly provides.