Kenny Clark is back, and I’m feeling one thing: relief.

There are plenty of other things you can and maybe should feel about this deal. A while back I explored some of the pros and cons of re-signing a defensive lineman heading into his 30s (you can listen to that here), and maybe that works for you. But “relief” is where I’m going to be hanging out for a while. 

Why? Well, for all the good he’s done for the team, most of the Brian Gutekunst era has involved the end of notable tenures in Green Bay. On his watch, Jordy Nelson, Clay Matthews, Randall Cobb (twice!), Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, David Bakhtiari, and Aaron Jones have all been shown the door. To be clear, I don’t fault Gutekunst for any of those moves. But that list encompasses some of the greatest Packers of my lifetime, two of whom will likely be enshrined in Canton one day — and none of them ended or will end their careers with the Packers. 

Clark isn’t headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he’ll remembered among the greatest Packers of his era and of all time as well. He’ll surely join the Packers Hall of Fame some day, and it will be more than fitting. And, for now at least, the question of whether or not he’ll suit up with another franchise at any time in the near future has been answered. The only remaining Packers player whose career predates the existence of this very site will be in green and gold a little while longer.

And I’m relieved.