Packers' second-year WR Michael Clark retires
-- A crowded receivers room didn't get any less crowded, but the Green Bay Packers will have one less familiar face at the position for Thursday's first training camp practice.
Michael Clark was placed on the reserve/did not report list, the team announced on Thursday. He was placed on the list along with fifth-round pick guard Cole Madison, who is tending to a personal matter.
It was shortly revealed that Clark, however, intends to retire from football, according to Aaron Nagler of PackersNews.com.
Clark, a 6-6 ex-basketball player with about as much upside as raw ability, played in the final two games of the year last season for the Packers before being re-signed in March.
Once a forward for the Saint Francis college basketball team in Pennsylvania, Clark ditched his full-ride scholarship to pursue football at Marshall -- a six-hour drive southward to West Virginia.
Clark's lone collegiate season with the Thundering Herd was his first time playing football since his freshman year of high school, but that was apparently all he needed to declare for the draft. After being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Packers, he was eventually signed to their practice squad by the start of the 2017 season.
Clark was targeted 14 times in weeks 16 and 17 last year, catching four passes for 41 yards. He's also made several standout plays in the preseason that have even earned the acknowledgment of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Meanwhile, the Packers officially signed receivers Adonis Jennings and Kyle Lewis, bringing the total number of wide receivers on the roster on the eve of training camp to 11.
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Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].
Comments (20)
Bert
July 25, 2018 at 07:10 pm
I wish Clark the best. If he has a better option than getting his bell rung playing football then more power to him.
GBPDAN1
July 25, 2018 at 07:18 pm
I was intrigued with Clark's length last year. But now we have plenty of tall recievers for this year (5 new ones) , and he caught 4 passes out of 14 targets. That's not good even with Hundley throwing.
This will free up more camp opportunities for the rookies and other young receivers.
carlos
July 26, 2018 at 07:14 am
Maybe a blessing in disguise for the young receivers. I wasn’t sure he’d make the practice squad anyway let alone the 53. Wishing him the best. His lack of football experience probably was what hurt him, which is stating the obvious. I sure was hoping he’d make it last season.
PAPackerbacker
July 25, 2018 at 07:21 pm
I wish Clark the best, but I don't think his chances of making the team were all that good.
dobber
July 25, 2018 at 07:24 pm
Yep. With his height, he was a unique piece a year ago. Now, with the roster moves the Packers made, he's a redundant one.
4thand1
July 25, 2018 at 07:47 pm
So he got the short end of the stick?
Bearmeat
July 25, 2018 at 07:46 pm
Retiring? Hmm... I was thinking he'd have a shot - if not with GB because of the draft picks, then perhaps down the line with someone else. Good on him for having the courage to decide to hang em up and move on with his life. I hope he is happy and healthy for a long time to come.
By the way, did you all see that Nick Perry is on PUP to start camp with yet another hand injury? Shocking, I say!
Our OLBs really do suck.
4thand1
July 25, 2018 at 07:48 pm
If someone has a hangnail, MM will sit em.
EdsLaces
July 26, 2018 at 10:50 am
Our OLBs/ the Bears.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
July 25, 2018 at 08:58 pm
I was intrigued with Clark's potential. So far I haven't seen a reason for retirement. Probably isn't fair but on the surface it appears one of two things happened. Either the WR competition frightened him off, or the Pack told him they were releasing him. If nothing else he had great experiences and is in the Packer statistical book. Wish him the best and time likely will tell about his retirement.
Thegreatreynoldo
July 25, 2018 at 10:12 pm
One of the beat writers wrote that Clark seemed awfully low on the pecking order during OTAs.
I thought Clark needed to learn routes and such, but most of all to acquire the mindset of a football player.
I hope he has a life plan. He made $228K in 2017. He had a pretty decent shot at the PS ($129K per year minimum) and maybe a chance of spending some time on the 53-man roster.
Irish_Cheesehead
July 25, 2018 at 10:40 pm
If they give Jennings #85, I can dig one of my old jerseys out of the trash heap and get some more use out of it!
Since'61
July 25, 2018 at 11:16 pm
I wish Clark well, maybe he will go back to basketball. Thanks, Since '61
RCPackerFan
July 26, 2018 at 06:16 am
I was really shocked when I first heard this. Honestly he was my darkhorse pick to make the 53. With a lot of the talk around the rookies and Alliison, I really thought Clark may outshine them.
It makes more sense now why they signed Jennings and brought in another WR.
stockholder
July 26, 2018 at 06:30 am
Not surprised. I thought TE maybe. But the packers got better. Way better. You can't keep slow guys.
carlos
July 26, 2018 at 07:17 am
Just glad it wasn’t the other Clark retiring.
TarynsEyes
July 26, 2018 at 07:30 am
Shouldn't one need to have had some decent time at a career position first to justify the use of ...retiring.
He's quitting and likely correct to find another job where retirement means what is means....and a gold watch to boot.
Gianich
July 26, 2018 at 09:49 am
Janis gone...Now Clark gone!!! What will the fans do with their 2 favorite WRs of all time gone?? Those 20+ total career catches between the 2 of them aren't going to be easily replaced! Sad day in GB...
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