Frank Clark spent the final three games of the regular season on the injury report with an elbow issue. The Seattle Seahawks pass rusher divulged just how much he played through.
"I wouldn't lie to you guys. I played the whole season at 60 percent," Clark wrote on Twitter Tuesday night. "Trust me I hit it well. Two torn UCL's in one season. Both against the Minnesota Vikings."
The UCL is the Ulnar Collateral Ligament on the inside part of the elbow.
Presumably the elbow injuries occurred in separate tilts versus Minnesota. Clark played 25 snaps in the preseason game against the Vikings. The pass rusher popped up on the injury report in Week 2 with an elbow issue, the only time in the first three months he was on the report. The Seahawks then beat Minnesota 21-7 on Dec. 10. He was on the injury report with an elbow injury after that for the final three games of the regular season. Coach Pete Carroll noted it was the "other elbow" and at one point referred to Clark's injury as a hyperextension, per the Seattle Times. Clark was not on the team's playoff injury report ahead of the wild-card loss.
Despite playing at what he calls "60 percent," Clark enjoyed a monster season, compiling 41 tackles and a career-best 13 sacks. After the trade of Michael Bennett in the offseason, Clark carried the water for the Seahawks pass rush.
In the last year of his rookie contract, Clark is set to cash in as one of the best pass-rushers heading to the open market.
The 25-year-old likely won't make it to free agency, however. The Seahawks have publicly said they'd like to keep Clark in Seattle, presumably with a long-term contract. If that fails, Clark is a prime candidate to get slapped with the franchise tag this offseason.
