But this season feels different. It’s not the broadcast desk or the podcast studio that drives him, but his son Jordan’s excitement for his first year with the Jets. In that moment, his worlds as analyst and father collide and he navigates it with the same honesty and intensity that have defined his life. “I don’t even try to look at it as an analyst,” he says. “When I step on those grounds, I’m only a father. I don’t want to interview teammates or talk ball in a professional way — I just want to be Dad.”

It’s the kind of sentiment that underscores how Clark sees his own career in perspective. The tackles, the ring, the ESPN contract — all of it pales next to the pride of watching his son chase a dream he once held himself. He remembers when the boy broke his ankle in high school, refusing to cry, worried only about missing football. “To see him get this opportunity now because of the way he’s worked? Man, I couldn’t be prouder.”

What truly sets Clark apart is his willingness to share the full picture, the life beyond the game. He’s candid about therapy, the recovery routines that once defined his football years, and the stigma around mental health in the South where he grew up. “Every week, Thursday at 11,” he says of his therapy sessions. “And if I can’t make it, I figure it out another time. Growing up in the South as a Black man, you didn’t talk about sadness, depression or tough times. You were just supposed to push through. I had to shed that stigma. Talking through my past traumas or what I’m dealing with now — that’s been the biggest adjustment in my life. It allows me to be present, to be my best self.”

Talking through my past traumas or what I’m dealing with now

He laughs, recalling the little ways he maintains balance. Even in airports, life finds its quirks: TSA always pulls him aside for the small container of salt he carries with him. “Do you guys know you can’t bring salt in the airport?” he says, with a smile. Since giving up coffee, he starts his mornings with an electrolyte packet in water and a pinch of pink salt. “It just helps me hydrate.”

That sense of presence is what powers The Pivot. When the show launched, it might have looked like another sports podcast. Then came an episode with NBA star Michael Beasley, whose rawness of conversation made things thought provoking. “The way he opened up, his vulnerability, shifted everything,” Clark recalls. “After that, guests came on ready to share. They understood this was a space where we go deeper than sports.” From Tom Brady to Barack Obama, Clark and his co-hosts have built an environment where authenticity is currency.

"We don’t put on airs. I’ve made mistakes"

Booking guests remains a hustle — calls, DMs, relationships — but what makes them open up is simpler. “We don’t put on airs. I’ve made mistakes, I deal with embarrassment and guilt, and I share that. When people feel you’re not judging them, when they feel you connect with them, they open up. The Pivot isn’t about looking better than our guests or click bait. It’s about connecting with them.”

Clark has a clear vision of what makes the podcast distinct: the freedom to explore the human side of athletes and guests, to look at how grief, fatherhood, or failure shapes someone’s life. It’s this ability to go beyond the Xs and Os that he sees as the real power of storytelling.

For a man with a Super Bowl ring, a thirteen-year NFL career, and one of the most influential podcasts in sports, you might expect a tidy explanation of what drives him forward. Clark laughs at the idea. “I used to have a polished answer for that, but really it’s just who I am. In high school, I had to bike five miles in the Louisiana heat just to get to summer workouts. It didn’t feel odd to me. That’s just how I move. I don’t even love TV — people find that odd. The one job I ever wanted was to play in the NFL. And I got to do it. People paid me to do it. I thought, how crazy is that? Now I just keep going because that’s who I’ve always been.”

He’s already lived the dream once — a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh, 13 seasons of Sundays, the roar of the crowd. Now he’s shaping how fans experience the game from the studio, the podcast chair, and the sidelines as a father. What holds it all together is the same thing that made him a leader on the field: being true to oneself, resilience, and the unshakable drive to keep moving forward.

For more, check out The Pivot Podcast or follow Ryan Clark on social media at @realrclark.