Franchise Frank Clark? Why it makes sense for Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are one of three teams that haven't used the franchise tag in the past eight years.

The streak may come to an end with defensive end Frank Clark reaching the end of his rookie contract after the best season of his career.

The window for applying the franchise tag opened on Tuesday, so here's a look at why that's the likely outcome for Clark, barring a last-minute extension, and what a tag would mean for the Seahawks and their top pass-rusher.

How they got here

It isn't for a lack of trying that Clark remains without an extension. His agent, Erik Burkhardt, told ESPN.com in October he's had "several very productive and positive talks with the Seahawks." He said Clark loves…