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After veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins struggled in his first season with the Atlanta Falcons, the team handed the offense over to Michael Penix Jr. Now the former first-round draft pick will begin the 2025 campaign as Atlanta’s starting QB. And Penix believes the Falcons’ offense will be elite this season.
To help reach those lofty expectations, Atlanta added a new weapon for the second-year passer. The Falcons signed veteran wide receiver DJ Chark to a one-year deal on Friday, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
The team hosted Chark for a visit earlier in the day, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Apparently the Falcons liked what they saw in the eighth-year wideout as they agreed to a deal shortly after reports of his visit surfaced.
Falcons land former Pro Bowl WR DJ Chark
Chark was selected in the second round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2018 draft out of LSU. While the wideout missed five games with a quadriceps injury in his rookie season, he broke out the following year.
Chark had a career-best season in 2019, catching 73 passes for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns. The performance earned him a Pro Bowl nod and he appeared set to lead the Jaguars' receiver corps for years to come.
However, injuries and inconsistency plagued Chark over the next two seasons and Jacksonville let him leave in free agency when his rookie deal expired after the 2021 campaign. He went on to sign three consecutive one-year deals from 2022-2024 with the Lions, Panthers and Chargers.
In 2024, Chark opened the season on the injured reserve and ultimately missed 10 games with the Chargers. He recorded just four receptions for 31 yards and one touchdown in seven games for Los Angeles.
Now he’ll join a Falcons team that surprisingly finished fifth in the league in passing yards per game last season. The 6’3”, 200-pound Chark offers size and speed at the position – he ran a 4.34 40 in the 2018 NFL combine. The veteran boasts tantalizing traits but he’s been unable to put it all together since his impressive second year.
Chark, entering his age-29 season, will join a Falcons’ WR room led by fourth-year wideout Drake London, who posted his first 1,000-yard season in 2024. Atlanta also has veteran receiver Darnell Mooney, who recorded 992 yards with the team last year, and the speedy Ray-Ray McCloud.
Additionally, the Falcons are hoping for a breakout from Kyle Pitts. The former first-round tight end has underwhelmed since Atlanta used the fourth overall pick on him in 2021.
