Even if Clay is overpaid for what he does now, he's still a top 5 player on defense. Hemorrhaging talent (even overpaid talent) will not help the Packers get better. Let him play out his contract (Nelson too) and keep looking for young players to fill the role (if Gute can draft pass rushers like TT drafted WRs, we'll be fine). If the Packers run out of money, that's when you approach Nelson for a cheap extension.

None of these players are deadweight. It isn't like Clay is Menedict Barnold. And even if Nelson is final-year-Donald-Driver or second-stint-Antonio-Freeman, Rodgers benefits from having Nelson on the field, and at this point, that's the deciding factor.