Three years ago, DJ Chark hauled in eight touchdowns and over 1,000 yards to earn Pro Bowl honors in his second NFL season. He's betting on himself to run it back in Detroit.
Chark has agreed to a one-year deal with the Lions worth up to $12 million, with $10 million fully guaranteed, according to reports from ESPN and NFL Network, filling the club's need for a dynamic outside receiver.
Chark got off to a slow start last season and then went down for the year with a fractured ankle in Week 4. That depressed some of his value in a free agent market where the price of receivers has soared. But the former second-round pick put up 1,714 yards and 13 touchdowns over the two seasons prior for the Jaguars and has the size (6'4) and speed the Lions were looking for.
With a bounceback season in Detroit, Chark, who turns 26 in September, can cash in with a longer-term deal next year. The Lions will be counting on him to stretch the field alongside Josh Reynolds, with Amon-Ra St. Brown working in the slot. The team is also expected to add another receiver or two in the draft. Detroit was tied for the fewest explosive passing plays (40-plus yards) in the NFL last season.
"Our efficiency on offense is going to be big," Dan Campbell said earlier this offseason. "Anytime you can add a piece or a weapon on the perimeter, particularly, that’s going to help us. That’s one of the things that we’d like to do, whether it’s free agency or the draft, and we’ll keep our eyes open. But there again, it’s gotta be the right guy and the right fit for us."
For the Lions, a rebuilding team wary of splurging on a big-money receiver, the right fit was Chark. And for Chark, a former 1,000-yard receiver trying to rebuild his value, the right fit was the Lions.