A Conversation with New Jets Safety Chuck Clark (3/24)

The Jets make the trade with the Baltimore Ravens uh in order to get you, of course, for a late round pick in twenty twenty four. But when did you become aware of the deal? Honestly, I thought it was gonna happen last year before training camp. I thought I wanted out of there last year. And when I tried, it was much deny and I thought I was coming to the Jets, like when the process is happening, it

was Jets for the Philly. But fast forward a year later, pretty much end of this season, like, hey y'all, y'all either got to release me or trade me, you know, And I think that that that relationship and Baltimore ran soidware at the time, so I was like, you gotta least me and trade me, and they pretty much agreed to it. And when I found out about it, then I knew that it was about to happen. I was heading into a workout and I was like, oh man, I'm headed to the jets, Like it was crazy, So

my phone started going crazy a little bit. I'm in the workout, but I think doing that workout was good. Actually that initial little time just to use my mind away from it. But yeah, I pretty much knew it was gonna happen. Relief for jubilation or a bunch of emotions. How would you describe that? I think a bunch of emotions honestly, because like I said, I wondered out of the last situation. But then also with that, in this business, you never know what comes with it. You know, this

a league full of uncertainty. So you're like, oh, okay, if I get released, I won't have a job. I get traded. It's a new new scenery, new scenario. You never know. So it was definitely a bunch of emotions with it. What was the mindset last year? Like you said, you talked to the front office and said, hey, I think it would be best if we parted ways and I got a new start and whatever. After obviously, they drafted Kyle Hamilton and they signed Marcus Williams a free agency.

But with all that being said, you put your head down and you never came off the field again. Yeah, I knew like who I was as a person, who I was as a player. I mean, at first I was I was. I was upset about everything that went on, and I pretty much made that known and try to make it known. And when I realized I wasn't gonna get what I was asking for, I was like, you know what, I just got to make the most of the situation. And at the end of the day, I still got to put good film on tabe. You know,

go out there ball. I'll do what I gotta do, and uh, you know, eventually what I want will come. So um what that like you said, how was that? It was tough a little bit? But then once I got playing and got in the group of the season, it's like, all right, you're playing ball, Like, you're not about to complain now, are you in it? Who did you talk to from the Jets? Initially when the trade was final. Uh so when it first happened, head coach called me, DC called me. They was all on a call.

Um player wise, DJ re had reached out to me and we texted back a little bit. Um who else talked to Joe? So so yeah, yeah, you know I got good feedback. I was all right, cool, they reached out to me, They welcome to me. You know, it's like, cool, dude, this is what's up? What did DJ say to you? Because of course he came over from Seattle himself last year's signing a free agency. He was just like excited to have me on board, you know, ready to rock

out this season. I pretty much said back to him, like, hey, you know the same. I'm ready to ball out with y'all. You know, we're about to turn a new new page over here and all, let's let's hit our individual goals and let's go get our team goals. And I was like, I feel like, hey, playoffs need to be a minimum for us, Like that's the mindset that we need to

have before. What about Robert Salah and Jeff Rawbrook when they got on the phone, Because Sala to a man, everybody talks about his connectivity with the players definitely, So I mean with that, like we kind of hopped on the phone and got to chop it up a little bit. And I always heard about him, you know, you know, just talking through the league and different guys. You know, all right, he's really good with the players, you know, connect with him and just hopping on the phone and

we're talking back and forth. He's like really excited to have me over and I think like divided that guy was like very welcome and all right, like hey, I'm be here for you. You know what I'm saying, everything that you need and we're gonna go and do we gotta do. What do you think about the secondary? How much were you able to take in maybe last year from AFAR, watching DJ come over and thrive, Sauce Gardner

be drafted number four overall. He goes on to be defensive Rookie of the Year the Jets side Jordan Whitehead and free Anancy. Last year from AFAR, what did you see from the secondary? I definitely seem like a mixture of young and experience and within the group, but a lot of playmaking for sure, a lot of playmaking on the back end over there. Different intangibles, you know different, Tracy got tall guys, sweater guys, you know, athletic quick. So I'm excited to be in the mix for real.

I can't I can't wait to be out there with them. Can you talk about adding to the culture and what you will take from you from your time in Baltimore, Because when you think about the Ravens, you think about a perennial contender or a a team that's going to be battling in the playoffs every year. Yeah, I think that's

like how I told you. I was talking with DJ and I had this conversation with somebody else in the building when I was there last week, like like, I feel like playoffs is a minimum, Like we gotta get in there, like win the next game and let's get to the playoffs, les, Dude, we gotta do and once we get into the playoffs, we're gonna set up and start moving from there, and dude, we gotta do so

like just having that experience. So I've been in the league six years and I missed the playoffs too, So I feel like, hey, we gotta get in the playoffs. Gotta get yourself a shot to go win the ring. Do you like that attack style the Jets are playing with on defense. I mean Solos first year in all Brooks first year, this was a team completely in transition and they finished thirty second in the National Football League,

but across the board last year top five and several categories. Right, definitely, definitely, definitely a lot of balls on defense making explosive play. So, like I said, I can't wait to get in the mid right there. It's it's a lot. It's a lot to be excited about. What's been the key as far as your debundability, debundability and durability over the course of your career because this is one hundred percent injury league. Yeah,

Chuck Clark's always on the field. I really try not to think about it, honestly, because, like you said, like anything can happen in this game any day, So honestly, I just try not to think about it, you know, but give a lot of it to God. You know, It's it's a physical game, like anytime you stop in that field, practice, field, game, field, anything can happen. But just trying to take care of my body, you know, getting in the routine, lifting, lifting, eating, right, stretching, taking

care of my body. But I remember, like my rookie year, I was in the weight room and I was stretching and to real sous that came up to me and he is like, what you're doing in here stretching? He's like, and I mean and if you kind of know, like his personality didn't really come off like that really, so it's a little bit more like I ain't starting stretching and getting getting massage or nothing like that until a year or four, and he's like, you know what, keep that,

keep that up, you know. So I'm like, you know what, that kind of always stuck with me. You know, just stay on top of your body, you know, because as you go and well to speak on that, like he went on to play fifteen sixteen years or something like that, but I mean, as as you keep going, you know things what happened to your buddy Nixon Bruges, So you just gotta stay on top of it. Honestly, how much you pride yourself on your versatility, because yeah, you play

a lot of snaps or free safety. You can play strong safety. People say line up in line back or you come down and play nickel m. Yeah, I just think I'm a ball player, like I don't really. When I think about it, I don't. I'm a DV but I'm a ball player. I don't classify myself like as anything Like, if I'm asked to do it, I'm gonna go try to get it done, learn it and figure it out, and go get it done and play at

a high level. Speaking of playing at a high level, what do you think about playing in New York for a hungry fan base. This team hasn't been in the playoff since two thousand tons. The reason why I mentioned New York. You put on a Clark Chuck Clark highlight film. You're seeing him make a lot of plays against the Jets in Week one, then he came back against the Giants last year. Seemed like you felt like you were

playing at home anytime you were up here. Yeah. Yeah, it's definitely played something I'm gonna say, semi familiar with. You know that I took the train of a few times from Baltimore. You know, move around in the city a little bit. But I'm excited about that opportunity to be able to play on that stage in New York, just to be there. You know, everybody you know knows about New York people across the country, across the world,

no about New York. So just to be able to come there and play there, I can't wait for the opportunity. How have you progressed throughout your career that you mentioned before coming into the league out of Virginia Tech and the interaction with Terrell Suggs T Sugs. But you look at your trajectory and how you just you came in as adopt player who's going to participate on special teams. Then you became a regular in the starting lineup. How

would you describe your ascension in this league. I think the way I got going in this league is the same pretty much how it happened in college. Just started off on special teams. Pretty much that first year, You're okay, you know, you're making plays, making tackles on special teams. Let's try to evolve you into a little package. Let's get you a package, Let's get you a role. And

then that that turned into you know, injuries happened. Then next thing you know, I'm go from being a core special team guy in a matter of a week to a defensive starter wearing the green dit the next league.

And that's pretty much how I have you know, just starting off special teams, special teams, special teams, and then this thing like you try to piece to like a lot of guys coming in the league now, like don't sleep on special teams because that could be where you know, project your career to take off, honestly, and a lot of guys don't really want to do it because they're like, for what, I just was a four year starter at this school, Like, well I'm gonna do that, But I

mean it really can get your career going, honestly. What about your hunger for the ball? Not a lot of safeties you're looking up and saying, yeah, he had tripled digit tackles last year. You go over one hundred tackles last season. Can you talk about that mindset of always getting there? I just pride myself on getting to the ball, making a tackle, making a sure tackle. If you're not getting to the ball, if you're not if you're not showing up on the film and the camera on every down,

then what are you doing? You know what I'm saying, Like what side of the field you want? You got to get to the ball and make plays. That's just how I feel, you know, That's what it's about football, getting to the ball. Jets fans, we're in our final push and the clock is ticking. Windbet is giving you a golden opportunity to win VIP prizes for the twenty

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hundred dollars you wager. Yeah, I want to ask you about the intangibles you're going to bring to the table because anybody knows you or followed your career knows that you're gonna be a force inside the locker room and also in the community. And we're gonna get to that in a second. But you were at n Fall Honors this year, correct. Yeah, Yeah, that was the first time experience for me. It was cool. So the Baltimore Ravens twenty twenty two Man of the Year. I wanted to

ask you about this that night. How special was it for you individually? And then what did you think when you saw a pair of Jets get Defensive Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year and Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson as you were taking in that night. Now, looking back for me personally, that night, like I said, it was the first time for me ever being there.

So it was cool just to see how like the I guess the TV show of TV program runs like they got the TV breaks and hey, we need you to see her in the set whatnot. So it was cool and it was it was good just to be recognized for that. But seeing the two guys that won the Rookie Rickie of the Year awards and then looking back on like, okay, now those are gonna be my teammates, Like that's what suff for real, Like just like the sky's a limit for them at this point. You know,

they don't get complacent, keep on balling out. But that's cool to two rookies from the same team win those awards. That's what suck. I'd encourage everybody to watch that video the Ravens put out of you getting that from John Harbaugh in front of the rest of the team. He

brought you up in front of the guys. Can you talk about what platforms you are a part of as far as off the field, and also do you look at this as an opportunity for you to, hey, take your platform and then extend it up here in the Northeast now at your new home. Definitely. So, I think my thing has always been just community outreach, you know, not specifically geared to a certain I guess if you want a sickness or a disease or something. It's just

always been community outreach. So just trying to feed and pour back into the community in which I live, where I work and whatnot. So had the opportunity to do it in Virginia in Baltimore. So now I get to carry that up to this some more of the East coast to New York, New Jersey area. So I'm looking forward to that for sure. What put that in you? What installed that in you that, hey, listen, I'm in the NFL, now I'm gonna go out and help others.

I just think a lot of it has to do like with how I grew up, you know, the things that I've seen, and then then personally it's just like if you're not trying to better your community where you live, and it's like, what are we doing? Honestly? Uh, you just try to make things around us better? Can you talk about it? Yeah? So, like you never know like what your time, your presidence can do to someone who's

in a less fortunate situation to you. But I've had the ability to have m back to school drives, bike drives, UM doing different showing up at different UM group group events with kids juvenile, So just just just trying to do whatever I can, not not limiting it to one specific thing. Yeah. The Ravens say, if there's an event, Chuck's at it. Yeah yeah, Yeah, they definitely got me out for a lot of events you know here and there. So yeah, yeah, just trying to do what I could.

So can you talk about your up upbringing, in your background of the environment and how that helps shape you. Yeah. And I grew up always playing sports, you know, year round baseball, basketball, football, being competitive, and I think that just always like stuck with me. Like playing sports, it develops a mindset and mentality, you know, being a team, team building, buying a community building, you know, so just

always being involved in sports. Active. My dad was in the military, so but fortunately we never had to move around a lot. We was stationed in one spot in Virginia. So yeah, just grew up playing sports, you know, just always active in sports. And I think like a lot of that, Like I said, a lot of that helped with shaping me mindset and mentality. Was what service in the military was he nabe? Okay? And how did he take some of those lessons and transfer them to you.

It's like thinking about it, I can't like necessarily put one thing on it, but I think like different things as far as like growing up learning how to cut the grass and not not stopping, like not giving up because it's hot outside or something like that, like to keep pushing through, or you know, learning how to wash a car, like okay, like you know, you gotta be specifically with it. You know, you can't just wash the car.

You gotta get the wheels, you gotta get the rims to do the little details, you know, the small things that matter as well. What do you think that meant to the guys in the locker room last year, knowing that, hey, listen,

you were going through some personal adversity. I would say professional adversity, because hey, you didn't necessary really want to be there, but you put your head down, like we talked about before, and said, I'm gonna do what's best for the team and my teammates here as long as I am here. I think I know how personally to me, if somebody don't want to be there, you know, it's like, why why I be here? But then, like I think once I like prude and showed the I'm like, okay,

I'm here, y'all, y'all getting all of me. And I even expressed that to them. It's like, all right, he on board. You know, he'd been around here. One of those type of things. But I got like at the end of the year, a lot of guys, you know, they gave me their respect and whatnot. I was like, appreciate you sticking it out, staying here, you know, not going crazy or turning up and whatnot. So I mean, at the end of the day, I can I can feel good walking away from that situation knowing that I

did what I had to do. And uh, I mean there's so many people in that building that reached out to me. It's like, appreciate you, respect to you, So I could I could walk away fields good with that. What do you think this offseason is gonna be like for you as you and park on your second professional team here. It's definitely gonna be different from the standpoint of learning a new playbook, learning a new city, a new team, new locker room, just how things flow on

the day to day basis. You know, being somewhere for six years, you kind of understand how things flow, you know, you figure things out, but then all the stuffing that changes into a different environment. So I guess just trying to figure out the new uncertainties. But I mean there's nothing new that anybody hasn't done any league before, so I think i'd be all right. You mentioned DJ before. Are there some other guys in this roster that you've

talked to or you know, have come to contact with recently? Nah, I really haven't talked to too many guys yet, But I mean I think it's better, you know, in person interactions, so you can really get to know a person, meet them, see how they talk, you know. I think it's definitely a little bit. It's cool for guys to reach out, you know what I'm saying, for sure, But like I said,

I can't wait to meet guys in person. Yeah, And how do you think it's gonna be when you do walk into that locker room with that young mix of this team that has so many somebody talented young individuals. You're fitting yourself into that locker room. But also you're gonna be looked at for leadership ability as well. I don't know. Like I said, it's all gonna be new for me. So I'm gonna be looking around the same way,

like all right, what we're doing here. But at the end of the day, like I understand if we had guys come over in the past and bottom and they're like they like they call them me o G I'm like, gee, what five year six? You know, I'm yere five year six. So I mean I understand what comes with it in this game. Like if you get past three years in this game, like you know what I'm saying, you almost a better than here, you know. So just gonna be me day in and day out. You know, anything that

I got to share, I will share. Not afraid to speak, and I'm not afraid to talk, so definitely just gonna be me' awesome, tchuck, Well, we really appreciate your time to that. Definitely definitely appreciate y'all having me