History Repeats for Ryan Clark as Son Jordan Clark Goes Undrafted in Green Bay Before NY Jets Signing

Every year, the NFL Draft manages to fulfill just as many dreams as it destroys. For every player who hears his name called, countless others sit in empty draft rooms around the nation, fingers crossed.

In the unfortunate case of Jordan Clark, son of former Pittsburgh Steeler Ryan Clark, the wait proved futile. The seven rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft came and went, while his phone remained silent, recreating a sobering moment for Ryan.

After declaring for the 2002 NFL Draft, the LSU product was as hopeful as any other prospect. Unfortunately, Jordan is now forced to make it on his own as an undrafted free agent, much like his father, who went undrafted in 2002.

While Ryan would go on to enjoy a lengthy NFL career, one that featured a Pro Bowl nomination and a Super Bowl championship, the early days of his career proved to be challenging. He just got four starts in his first two years in the league.

Ryan split the first four seasons of his career with the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins before ultimately finding a home in Pittsburgh. Given his father’s relationship with various members of the media, several guests throughout NFL Live’s official broadcast said they were cheering for Jordan.

One analyst even made a point to remind any scouts who may have been watching about the young man’s presence.

“We have been around to see RC and Yonka, his wife, continue to feed into their kids. We watched Jordan go to the college football playoffs, play in the national championship, nephew is going to a team,” said Marcus Spears.

Thankfully, Jordan won’t have to face the same extended uncertainties that his father did. The 24-year-old safety signed a UDFA contract with the New York Jets shortly after the conclusion of the draft.

The Notre Dame alumni will now join the ranks of a talented defense that features the likes of Sauce Gardner and Andre Cisco. That gives him plenty of quality players to learn from.

So Jordan now enters a much more favorable position as a rookie than his father, who was forced to join a lowly Giants team that won a total of 14 games throughout the 2002 and 2003 seasons.

With his son having officially claimed the honor of being a second-generation NFL player, there’s no doubt that Ryan Clark is one proud father today. Now host of the Pivot Podcast and a frequent guest on various talk shows such as ESPN’s First Take, Ryan’s only remaining challenge as a father will be to curb any potential bias when attempting to assess the Jets as an on-air analyst.

While there is little glamor in going undrafted, Jordan’s discipline and access to his father’s past experiences should provide him with everything he needs to find success at the next level.

Jordan may be forced to fend for himself from here on out. But that should be no problem given the old adage: ‘like father, like son’.