On Tuesday, over 1,000 NFL players were notified that they would not make a 53-man roster leading into the start of the 2025 regular season. This list includes Jordan Clark, the son of longtime NFL safety turned ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark. But fortunately for Clark, his father is perhaps the best possible person to give him advice on how to go forward and pursue his NFL dream.
Jordan Clark, like his father, went undrafted, signing with the Jets as an undrafted free agent to compete for a roster spot throughout training camp and the preseason. And unfortunately, Clark was unable to do enough to impress the Jets coaching staff, ultimately getting cut by the team on Tuesday, which was later reported by ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini.
Part of the reason that Clark may not have been a fit on the Jets 53-man roster is that head coach Aaron Glenn was seemingly having him transition from a safety role to a nickel cornerback for the Jets. And considering the Jets already have an established starter in Michael Carter at the nickel position, Clark’s niche role simply may have limited his avenue to seeing the field in the mind of the Jets coaching staff.
Despite not making the 53-man roster, it seems as if the Jets are eager to keep Clark around the organization. According to Jets reporter Connor Long, Clark is expected to join the Jets practice squad should he clear waivers.
While being cut from the 53-man roster is obviously not something that Jordan Clark is thrilled about, he can look no further than his father as an example of how being a practice squad player is far from a death sentence to an NFL player.
Ryan Clark was famously in a similar spot, failing to make the New York Giants’ 53-man roster going into the 2002 NFL season and ending up on their practice squad. Later on into his rookie season, Ryan Clark would make the most of an opportunity to play on the team’s active roster. The rest is history, as he would carve out a 13-year NFL career for himself.
In light of his son being cut, Ryan Clark took to social media to share a silver lining, telling Jordan that this is only the start of his NFL journey.
“What a blessing,” wrote Ryan Clark in a post on X. “Not the first Clark from our household to be in practice squad in NY. The start of the journey not the end. Congrats @Jclark21_.”
Only time will tell whether Jordan Clark does end up following in his father’s footsteps and making an impact at the NFL level one day. But at the very least, he has the model in place from his father as to how to correctly approach being a practice squad player.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.