The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of decisions to make this offseason. We can (rightfully) talk about decisions to keep or move on from players like Javonte Williams. There is obviously the George Pickens situation to tend to. While there are varying degrees of what is a big deal and a small situation, the ultimate reality is that there are plenty of decisions to come to terms to.
One of the discussions the Cowboys are likely having has to do with defensive tackle Kenny Clark. This may sound a bit out of nowhere given that Clark was acquired in the trade that sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, and that the Cowboys raved about how much they loved Clark, but the reality of the situation was always in the details.
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We talked about this back in late August, but consider this line from ESPN’s reporting immediately following the Parsons trade.
A two-year, $22 million deal for a high-level player was viewed as a win for a Dallas team that sees the 29-year-old Clark as a multiyear solution, and there would also be no dead money if the Cowboys chose to release him after the season.
It was certainly strange how it was being billed as a positive that the Cowboys could release someone who they deemed as a requirement to be a part of the trade, but water under the bridge or whatever. The point here is that the Cowboys seemed to always have a wandering eye relative to Kenny Clark and 2026.
The worldwide leader seems to have remembered that. Bill Barnwell put together trade proposals for teams to make with one another this offseason and has the Cowboys involved in a hypothetical deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. The player at the center of it is indeed Kenny Clark.
Bengals get: DT Kenny Clark, 2027 seventh-round pick
Cowboys get: 2027 sixth-round pickThe Clark era might not last long in Dallas. Acquired as part of the Micah Parsons deal, Clark’s contract was a relative bargain in 2025, given that the Cowboys were on the hook for only his $1.3 million base salary and another $1 million in per-game roster bonuses. Clark wasn’t single-handedly able to fix Dallas’ defense, but he also wasn’t the problem.
In 2026, though, Clark is set to make $21.5 million — $11 million of which comes due in a mid-March roster bonus. He projects to have the fifth-largest cap hit of any Cowboys player. The problem is that the fourth-largest cap hit belongs to fellow defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, whom the Cowboys sent two premium picks to the Jets to acquire at the trade deadline. And the sixth-largest cap hit belongs to fellow tackle Osa Odighizuwa, whose $16.25 million base salary is guaranteed.
Clark’s money isn’t guaranteed, and it’s unlikely that he would be in position to land that same $21.5 million in 2026 compensation if he hits free agency. Grady Jarrett signed a three-year, $42.5 million deal with the Bears after the Falcons cut him last offseason, and I suspect Clark might be looking at something closer to that range as a free agent.
So, if the Cowboys are going to cut Clark and he won’t land the same caliber of contract in free agency, the alternative might include taking a pay cut to the $14 million range and netting the Cowboys a swap of late-round picks in the process. Clark might not be willing to accommodate the Cowboys, and the former UCLA Bruin might prefer a move out west, but this deal would be an opportunity for him to reunite with former Packers defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, who oversaw Clark’s work during his best seasons in Green Bay.
Barnwell is pitching a hypothetical where Clark agrees to a re-worked deal so that he doesn’t lose as much as he stands to if the Cowboys cut him outright. The gain here would be minimal for Dallas as they’d be improving their seventh-round pick next year to sixth-round status. Keep in mind that Dallas already has multiple sixth-round picks next year as they sent their 2027 fifth-round pick away in the George Pickens deal. The Cowboys received Pickens and Pittsburgh’s sixth in 2027 (for their third this year and fifth next) as far as the full terms were concerned.
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Back to Clark, Barnwell is right to bring up Quinnen Williams as someone who complicates the Clark situation even more. Obviously Williams was not on the Cowboys when the Parsons/Clark deal was originally executed so that only put him further behind the proverbial eight ball, so to speak.
This move may seem like a pointless endeavor for the Cowboys, but it boils down to several points:
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It is hard to see Kenny Clark staying on the Cowboys on his current contract
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If he is released outright the Cowboys stand to gain nothing and he may sign elsewhere
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Clark is, saying this as respectfully as possible, less needed in the aftermath of the Quinnen Williams acquisition
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This would be getting “something out of nothing” to a degree which is always the preferred option
These types of things rarely come to pass, but honestly the Cowboys should be applauded if they manage to find a suitor for Clark given everything outlined above.
