Chuck Clark calls out Ravens for 2023 trade, shows mixed feelings

While Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith gear up to lead a young Baltimore Ravens defense into another season of championship contention, former starting safety Chuck Clark has had to watch them from the outside, stewing with anger with each victory the team put up last year.

Clark was a testament to Baltimore's drafting and developing success, morphing from a sixth-round pick out of Temple to a quality starting safety who played a big part in making the Ravens' defense one of the better overall units in the league consistently during his tenure.

The Ravens were still unwilling to bring Clark back for one more season, trading him to the New York Jets. Before the season, the ultra-durable Clark suffered a torn ACL. Not only is Clark ready to prove the doubters wrong, but he wants to stick it to Baltimore for trading him.

“I mean, I ain’t forgot about that,” Clark said. “I’ve still got that chip on my shoulder. But I think going through that injury process, it just gave me a new gratitude and gratefulness for this game. I’ve still got a lot to prove. I missed the whole year...“People might be like, ‘Oh, he lost a step.’ Yeah, all right. Watch.”

Ex-Baltimore Ravens safety Chuck Clark calls out team after trade

In a cruel twist of Jets bad luck, Clark's injury came after a Ravens tenure in which he had never missed a game due to injury. Adrian Amos was signed to be a replacement, but he was so bad he got cut before the end of the season. Baltimore knows how good Clark can be at his best.

Clark spent six seasons at the center of one of the best defenses in the league, where he was praised for his hard-hitting and timely playmaking. While he may not be Kyle Hamilton in terms of being able to cover ground, Clark's nose for the football and motor were both well-appreciated.

Baltimore has been able to replace Chuck about as well as anyone could have hoped for. Not only has Hamilton evolved into one of the top two safeties in the game, but veteran Marcus Williams has been able to slide right in and be impactful.

With the Jets projected by many to be a playoff team now that Aaron Rodgers is back and healthy, there's a non-zero chance that these two teams could meet in the postseason. Sparks are sure to fly if this meeting happens.