After missing just two games over the first six years of his career, Jets safety Chuck Clark is about to be sidelined for an entire season.
Clark suffered a torn ACL last week, The Post confirmed, but went for a second opinion before accepting his fate, according to NFL Network.
He was penciled in as a starter next to Jordan Whitehead and had received rave reviews from his teammates.
“I love him, I’m not going to lie,” cornerback D.J. Reed said during last month’s OTAs. “My first day seeing him, I just like the way he moves, the way he works, how hard he goes in the weight room, how he takes notes in the classroom, how he communicates on the field.”
The Jets acquired Clark from the Ravens in March for a 2024 seventh-round pick, which was a small price to pay for a veteran of 96 games and 63 starts and the former signal-caller for one of the most aggressive defenses in the NFL.
But Clark’s durability didn’t make the move with him.
Clark first asked for a trade last season when the Ravens began to move in a different direction by adding safeties Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton.
He instead started every game but became expendable entering the final year of his contract.
The Jets owe $2.4 million in salary (on top of an already paid $1.1 million roster bonus, according to spotrac.com) to Clark, who will enter free agency next offseason in need of proving his health.
The injury happened during practice, ESPN reported.
It’s clear that the Jets expected the worst-case scenario with Clark because they signed veteran safety Adrian Amos to a one-year, $1.7 million contract almost simultaneous to losing Clark.
With moving parts at so many other positions, the secondary is supposed to be the area of stability for the Jets, who return eight of their top nine defensive backs around Amos.
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