Pre-draft Clady drew comparisons to
Chris Samuels.
Denver Broncos Clady was selected by the
Denver Broncos, with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the
2008 NFL draft. Clady was the highest drafted player in Boise State history and the 11th to be selected in the 1st round. He was also Denver's highest selected offensive lineman since
Chris Hinton in
1983. The Broncos signed him to a five-year deal worth $46.75 million. It was reported to guarantee $23.375 million. Clady started every game during the
2008 NFL season and gave up just a half of a sack while committing only three penalties. Following Week 12 of the
2008 NFL season,
Peter King of
Sports Illustrated said Clady was the third-best rookie overall. On December 12, 2008, Clady won the
Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week award, after his game against the
Kansas City Chiefs. That was the first time all season that a
lineman, either offensive or defensive, won the award. Clady finished third in voting behind
Matt Ryan and
Chris Johnson for the 2008
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. He was the only offensive lineman to receive any votes. He was the only starting NFL offensive lineman to give up less than one sack for the entire season. He was named to the
Associated Press NFL All-Pro Second Team behind
Michael Roos and
Jordan Gross. In 2009, the
Sporting News listed Clady as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the NFL. After the Broncos' October 4, 2009, victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Clady set a new NFL record for consecutive games to start a career without giving up a full sack. Through his first 20 games, he surrendered only half of a sack. Clady was named a starter for the
2009 Pro Bowl and was named first-team All-Pro by the
Sporting News and
Associated Press after the 2009 season. On April 28, 2010, Clady injured his patella tendon while playing basketball but did not miss a game the following season. In 2011, Clady played all 16 games and was added to the
2012 Pro Bowl roster along with teammate
Willis McGahee. After the season, the Broncos tried to sign Clady to a long-term deal and offered him a 5-year $50 million deal with $28 million guaranteed, but he refused. and Clady in January 2012 In the 2012 season, Clady allowed just one sack the entire season. Towards the end of the season, he tore a
labrum in his right shoulder but still did not miss any time. He played the last few games of the season including the playoffs with the injury and had surgery to repair it only after the season ended. He was selected to the
2013 Pro Bowl but did not play because of his shoulder injury. On March 1, 2013, in order to prevent Clady from becoming an unrestricted free agent, the Broncos assigned him the
franchise tag, worth $9.823 million. On July 14, 2013. Clady agreed to a new contract with the Broncos worth $52.5 million for five years. Of that, $33 million was guaranteed over the first three years of the contract. There was a maximum of $5 million in incentives attached to the deal. If Clady was named to the
Associated Press's
All-Pro team, then he would receive an extra $500,000 each subsequent season. Should he be named to the team a second time, he would receive an extra $1.5 million. The deal came one day prior to the July 15 deadline to extend "franchise-tagged" players. On September 18, 2013, Clady was placed on season-ending
injured reserve, due to a
Lisfranc injury he suffered during a week two matchup against the
New York Giants. The Denver Broncos signed
Winston Justice to replace his roster spot. Without Clady, the Broncos finished the 2013 season with the #1 offense and a 13–3 record. They reached
Super Bowl XLVIII, but lost 43–8 to the
Seattle Seahawks. Clady played in the
2015 Pro Bowl, earning his fourth appearance based on play during the 2014 season. On May 28, 2015, Clady tore his
ACL during OTA's. He was placed on injured reserve and sat out for the 2015 season. On February 7, 2016, Clady was part of the Broncos team that won
Super Bowl 50 over the
Carolina Panthers by a score of 24–10, but he did not play in the game due to his previously torn ACL.
New York Jets On April 9, 2016, Clady and a seventh-round pick were traded to the
New York Jets in exchange for a fifth-round pick. On April 10, he signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Jets, including a club option for 2017. He was placed on injured reserve on November 9, 2016, with a shoulder injury. It was reported he was diagnosed with a torn
rotator cuff and missed the rest of the season after having surgery. On February 15, 2017, the Jets declined Clady's $10 million option, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Retirement On August 1, 2017, Clady announced his retirement from the NFL after nine seasons, tweeting, "I'm excited about what life holds for me going forward." On December 30, 2017, he signed an unofficial ceremonial contract with the Broncos to retire as a member of the team. ==References==