Clark orchestrated a return to Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Steelers went into Monday morning with the idea that safety Ryan Clark was signing with the Miami Dolphins.
However, a bit of luck fell into the Steelers lap Monday afternoon as Ryan Clark changed his mind to return to the franchise that has become home for him.
The Steelers spoke to Joel Turner, the agent of Ryan Clark, early Monday morning which has been normal procedure between the two sides throughout the free agency process.
The two sides didn’t speak again for hours.
According to a league source, there was no movement towards an agreement until Clark had his agent re-engage in talks with the Steelers shortly after 2:00 p.m. on Monday
Clark told his agent Joel Turner, to get a deal done with Pittsburgh following his visit with the Miami Dolphins Monday morning.
Multiple sources indicate that Clark was set on signing with the Dolphins and was not using the Dolphins as leverage to get Pittsburgh to increase their offer.
He had a change of heart and just wanted to return to Pittsburgh I’m told, even if it meant returning for less money than he would have received from Miami.
However, sources confirmed on Monday that the offer made by Monday was very similar to Pittsburgh’s and Clark’s camp came away from their visit with Miami very disappointed.
Clark’s camp has insisted for the past couple weeks that Ryan has been seeking the best fit and for Clark, the best fit was still in Pittsburgh where he is raising a family.