When the Denver Broncos agreed to terms on a one-year deal with former Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Frank Clark last week, it brought back memories of the team signing Neil Smith in 1997.
After playing nine years with the Chiefs and disrupting Denver’s offense twice a season every year, Smith joined his former rival and went on to win a pair of Super Bowls with the Broncos late in his career.
Clark only spent four years in Kansas City, but he gave Denver plenty of headaches during that time. Now, just like Smith, he’s hoping to help the Broncos defeat his former team and reach the NFL’s peak.
“The situation with Sean Payton is good for me,” Clark told Josina Anderson of CBS Sports on June 8. “I get to play alongside Randy Gregory and stay in my division that I am very familiar with. I also want to help the Broncos get back to the mountain top.”
Payton personally recruited Clark to Denver — he “hit it off” on a phone call with the pass rusher last week, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
When Smith signed with the Broncos in 1997, he had five Pro Bowl nods on his resume but no championship titles. Clark has already won a pair of Super Bowls, and he’ll aim to win a third with Denver.
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