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 create just as many dreams as it destroys. For every player that hears their name called, countless others sit in empty draft rooms around the nation, hoping for the same.

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

Upon declaring for the 2002 NFL Draft, the LSU product was as hopeful as any other prospect. Unfortunately, reality set in and Clark was forced to make it on his own as an undrafted free agent.

While Clark 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. Seeing just four starts throughout his first two years in the league, Clark 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 noted that 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 Yona, 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.”

Thankfully, Jordan won’t have to face the same extended uncertainties that his father did, as 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, giving him plenty of quality players to learn from. Suffice to say, he 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 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, Clark’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 to be found in going undrafted, Clark’s discipline and access to his father’s past experiences should provide him with everything he needs to find success at the next level. He may be forced to fend for himself from here on out, but that should be no problem given the old adage of “like father, like son.”