GREEN BAY, Wis. — Less than eight months after trading franchise cornerstone Kenny Clark to Dallas in the Micah Parsons mega-deal, the Green Bay Packers are preparing to execute one of the fastest U-turns in recent NFL history.
Multiple league sources confirmed Friday that the Packers have already reached out to Clark’s representatives about a potential return to Lambeau Field, with the primary motivation being Devonte Wyatt’s devastating left ankle injury suffered on Thanksgiving Day against the Lions. Wyatt, who had emerged as the team’s most explosive interior rusher this season (4.0 sacks, 7 TFL in 11 games), is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025 season and possibly part of 2026 after suffering significant ligament damage when rookie Warren Brinson fell on his lower leg.
“Kenny never wanted to leave in the first place,” a source close to the situation told The Draft Network. “The Parsons trade was a football decision everyone understood, but both sides left the door cracked. When Wyatt went down, that door got kicked wide open.”
Clark, 30, was shipped to Dallas in late March along with a 2025 fourth-round pick for Micah Parsons and a 2026 third-rounder. The move instantly made the Packers younger and more athletic on the edge but created a noticeable void at nose tackle and 3-technique depth. Clark has started all 11 games for the Cowboys this season, recording 38 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 9 QB hits while continuing to be one of the league’s premier run-stoppers (92.1 PFF run-defense grade entering Week 13).
The proposed structure, per sources, would be a short-term “prove-it” deal: two years with a team option after 2025, heavily incentive-laden, and designed to get Clark back in Titletown before the December 2 roster cut-down deadline for playoff eligibility. Dallas, currently 5-6 and spiraling after three straight losses, is reportedly open to facilitating a trade if compensation is minimal (believed to be a 2026 sixth-round pick or lower).
Head coach Matt LaFleur refused to comment directly on Clark when asked Friday but offered a telling response: “We’re going to explore every avenue to put the best defense on the field for January. If that means bringing back familiar faces who know our system inside and out, we’ll do it.”
For Packers fans, the potential reunion would be poetic. Clark spent his first nine seasons in Green Bay, earning four Pro Bowl nods and serving as a defensive captain. His abrupt departure in the Parsons trade left a bitter taste for many, but Wyatt’s season-ending injury has flipped the narrative overnight.
As one veteran Packers player texted after Thursday’s win: “We just lost our best interior rusher. Bring 93 home.”
If the deal is finalized next week, Kenny Clark could be practicing at 1265 Lombardi Avenue as early as Wednesday — wearing the same green and gold he thought he’d never put on again.
Sometimes in the NFL, full circle happens faster than anyone expects.
