The Detroit Lions were not among the more aggressive spenders over the opening weeks of free agency, but they did bolster their wide receiver depth with the signing of DJ Chark. The Lions and Chark came to terms on a mere one-year deal worth up to $12 million.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes is much excited to see how Chark will mesh with the offense in the 2022 campaign, which he touched on to Sirius XM NFL Radio.
“There are certain favorites that just emerge through that process and DJ was one of them,” Holmes said. “It’s just that he just fit what we’re about.
“We have a lot of collaboration sessions, just coaching and personnel and getting on the same page and just to hear [receivers coach Antwaan] Randle El and [offensive coordinator] Ben Johnson just talk about what they’re looking for at the receiver position. And everybody talks about the X receiver position, but Ben is a pretty creative guy — he’s got no problem moving guys around. But DJ fit a lot of those qualities about having speed, explosiveness, length. And he’s a football player.”
Chark spent his opening four seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he featured in 43 total games and also tallied 2,042 receiving yards. There was plenty of excitement surrounding Chark following his standout 2019 campaign, where he recorded a career-high 1,008 receiving yards and earned a Pro Bowl selection.
Injuries went on to mar Chark’s final two seasons with the Jaguars, which included being sidelined from 13 games in the 2021 campaign after suffering a season-ending ankle injury during the Week 4 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chark noted during his introductory press conference with the Lions that he garnered interest from other teams during his free agency period and also received “one or two long-term deals.” In the end, he opted to sign with the Lions because he viewed them as a “right fit.”
For a player who will once again hit free agency next year, Chark sure heads into the 2022 campaign with plenty of keen expectations to make the most out of his run under Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
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